Tollerton Parish Council (TPC), Tollerton Against Backdoor Urbanisation (TABU) and Save Nottingham Airfield Group (SNAG) have today expressed their shock and concern at the scale, number and type of problems that experts have identified in the development proposals for the Tollerton Airport site published by Rushcliffe Borough Council.
Through information released under the Freedom of Information Act, specialists in roads, public transport, flooding and community infrastructure at Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) have listed 22 pages of issues and problems with Rushcliffe’s proposed approach to the development. The submission was part of the consultation on Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) on the “East of Gamston/North of Tollerton Development.”
Crucially the experts highlight the absence of sufficient information to be able to appraise the layout of the site and routes in and out of it, calling into question the validity of the whole master plan and whether it is even possible to deliver a “sustainable” urban extension on the site.
The comments by professionals in their specialist topics and with local knowledge of the area emphasise how poorly written and conceived the Rushcliffe Borough Council proposal are.
Some particularly worrying extracts include;
”We continue to note that there is no comprehensive transport assessment covering
the allocated site and supporting the proposals in the SPD. This is essential for
evaluating multi-modal routes and infrastructure suitability of the internal layout”
“Critically the draft SPD does not adequately address the need for safe and improved pedestrian and cycle links between the site and the existing Gamston area beyond the A52”
“Crossings over the A52 are inadequate”
“The viability of safe and suitable provision [of connections to Gamston] has not been demonstrated as part of the SPD”
“The pedestrian cycle link across the A52 interfacing directly with Ambleside is
Unsafe”
“This will fundamentally not work”
“The Draft SPD … should be strengthened to include reference to surface water flooding”
The comments from NCC also include numerous requests for clarity on proposals or requests for corrections as well as suggestions that RBC need to consult more up to date sources of information.
From the outset of the consultation the Parish Council and Save Nottingham Airport Group have said that Rushcliffe were not providing sufficient information to meet the legal requirements for consultation, particularly on transport and ignoring inconvenient planning policy set in the Tollerton Neighbourhood Plan. Now the experts have said the same and that they can’t even appraise the scant transport proposals included in the SPD because there is insufficient information.
”We were shocked to see the scale and range of issues raised by the County Council on Rushcliffe’s proposals. As councils who work closely together on a number of issues, it is really disappointing that Rushcliffe Borough Council clearly haven’t done enough to work with the experts at Nottinghamshire County Council to make sure the proposals are good enough. We repeat our call for the work on the SPD to be cancelled, a proper document drawn up with input from experts and the community and a new consultation conducted at the right time”
Councillor Claire Dul, Vice Chair of Tollerton Parish Council
When we first saw the development proposal from Rushcliffe Borough Council we thought it looked rushed and incomplete and this new document confirms that. The consultation document was full of aspiration, but there was little in the way of information beyond what is in the existing planning framework. Rushcliffe has a legal duty to provide sufficient information for intelligent consideration. If there was insufficient information for the experts then how could residents be reasonably expected to comment. It is clear that Rushcliffe Borough Council need to start again
Hazel Salisbury, TABU
We had serious concerns about the accuracy and transparency of the SPD from the outset – from the missing viability table to multiple factual errors. It became clear very quickly that something wasn’t right. Through our own Freedom of Information request, we were shocked to discover that the developers had held the editable version and had directed and written most of the document themselves. That’s not impartial planning – that’s developer-led policy.
Thanks to further information uncovered by Tollerton Parish Council, we now know that Nottinghamshire County Council’s own submission echoes many of our concerns about the document. It highlights the same flaws and also confirms that the site is neither suitable nor sustainable for housing. This is a major breakthrough in our campaign as our fight to protect fixed-wing flying at Nottingham City Airport goes on.”
Sarah Deacon, Chair Save Nottingham Airport Group
Highway experts say that proposed crossings of the A52 in the SPD are inadequate and needed for safety and connectivity. They stress that the viability of safe and suitable provision has not been demonstrated as part of the SPD and is imperative at this stage.
The County Council has said the SPD needs measures to prevent rat running through Tollerton and Bassingfield. Bassingfield lane is a single track road with passing places unsuitable for additional traffic.
The highway comments call for a clear position in the SPD that Tollerton Lane should be closed to cars. The lack of information in the SPD means that residents have not been consulted on possible options for managing traffic on Tollerton Lane.
Flooding experts at the county council have said the SPD must take account of the high level of existing risk of flooding to houses on Tollerton Lane and ensure that surface water can be safely managed.
Further details of the Parish Council’s concerns about the SPD and the consultation which recently closed can be found here: https://tollertonparishcouncil.gov.uk/latest-news/
The work of SNAG can be found here: https://savenottinghamairfield.org/