Hucknall Labour councillor slams 'outrageous' proposals for housing on Misk Hills green belt

And Coun Keir Morrison, who represents Hucknall South as Ashfield District Council, said Hucknall was being treated as ‘easy pickings’ by developers.

The proposals would see the houses built on land off Common Lane.

Planning consultants working on behalf Nottingham-based Aldergate Property Group wrote to local councillors just hours before sending a leaflet out to hundreds of Hucknall residents outlining the proposals.

A public consultation is due to open on Monday, February 14 and run for two weeks.

Coun Morrison said: “It’s absolutely outrageous, Misk Hills is one of the most historical landmarks in Hucknall, I remember going up there as a kid and sledging when it snowed.

"It just seems to me that Ashfield as a whole, and Hucknall in particular, is being seen as easy pickings by developers.

"I think that they know that there’s a shortage of housing supply so they just circle a piece of green space in Hucknall, put in a planning application and they know it will be hard to turn down on material planning grounds.

"I just feel they know that, they know Hucknall and Ashfield is vulnerable and susceptible to development, given the fight we’ve had with the local plan.

"And it’s just rehearsing the same old arguments, we’ve got no doctors, we’ve got no infrastructure, the town’s going through a health crisis and unfortunately, in my view, the town’s been let down by politicians who just want to squabble with each other rather than work in the interests of people and the town.”

Coun Mitchell’s Hucknall South colleague Coun Lauren Mitchell (Lab) said she would be calling the application in to the council’s planning committee straight away.”

And Coun Keir Morrison (Lab) urged the council’s leadership and town MP Mark Spencer to take a stronger hand in fighting the onslaught of development in Hucknall.

He continued: “The town’s being treated like a political football and we’re in a blame culture where no-one seems to get anywhere.

"In my view, specifically talking about planning, what I think needs to happen first of all is a fundamental change in planning regulations and legislation, which will start at Whitehall at top Government level because planning laws are currently heavily weighted in favour of developers and not ordinary local people who don’t want to see green areas bulldozed and flattened.

"Secondly, we need a local plan in place which takes into account residents’ views which, in my view, haven’t been.

“As Coun Mitchell said after the cabinet meeting when the Whyburn Farm issue as addressed, the can was just kicked down the road and it’s not just about Whyburn Farm this and the fact people are really angry about it, it just seems bizzare that these areas have been included in the local plan.

"Coun Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind – counci leader) will say ‘what can we do, where can we build, there’s no brownfield sites, it’s the Government’s fault’.

"Well the Government states we need a local plan but it doesn’t dictate where Ashfield District Council identifies development sites, that is solely the responsibility of the council and Coun Zadrozny needs to start taking responsibility and leadership for his own actions.

"When they say ‘they’ve got no choice’, I reply, and I said this to them we had a local plan and you ripped it up.

"Unfortunately, it’s the town and the town’s people who lose and I applaud the Whyburn campaigners and what they’re doing and hopefully we can make some positive moves in the right direction.

"But it just seems with Whyburn, the Top Wighay development and Broomhill phase one and phase two, and now we’re talking about hundreds of houses being built on Misk Hills, when will we say enough is enough?

"When is the MP going to stand up for the people of Hucknall, when is the council leader going to roll up his sleeves and say enough is enough, this town can’t take any more housing because we simply haven’t got the infrastructure and it’s as simple as that.”