The Parish Council has heard very clearly from local residents the wide-ranging concerns about the proposed development of 200 houses on the land north of Burnside Grove, off Russell Farm Close.
In line with the majority of people in the UK, most people in Tollerton probably accept that there needs to be more housing built, not least so that the next generation can actually afford to settle down and have a stable home.
But new housing developments need to have the consent of local people through the democratic process and need to play by the rules set out in planning law.
Thank you to those residents who have shared their responses to the planning application with us.
To help local residents who have yet to respond to frame their comments or add additional comments on the proposed development here are nine themes to consider.
The proposals can all be found at the link below and responses need to be sent to Rushcliffe Borough Council by 7th January 2026.
This site is in the Green Belt. There are ways that developers can reclassify Green Belt to become “Grey Belt” which makes building on it easier. But this requires proving that the proposed development is sustainable in terms of access to education and also transport provision amongst other things.
Paragraph 100 of the National Planning Policy Framework says, “It is important that a sufficient choice of early years, school and post-16 places are available to meet the needs of existing and new communities”
Do you think the fact that the application says nothing about school places is good enough?
Similarly, Paragraph 115 of the same national ‘rules’ for planning says, “In assessing sites that may be allocated for development in plans, or specific applications for development, it should be ensured that: a) sustainable transport modes are prioritised taking account of the vision for the site, the type of development and its location; b) safe and suitable access to the site can be achieved for all users; c) the design of streets, parking areas, other transport elements and the content of associated standards reflects current national guidance, including the National Design Guide and the National Model Design Code; and d) any significant impacts from the development on the transport network (in terms of capacity and congestion), or on highway safety, can be cost effectively mitigated to an acceptable degree through a vision-led approach.”
Do you think that the cars driving to and from 200 new homes down one single narrow road meets these tests?
Do you think that the proposals have enough in them about pedestrian and cycling access?
Does the proposal say enough about parking provision?
Changing Green Belt land to ‘Grey Belt’ also requires the developer to prove that the local planning authority (ie, Rushcliffe Borough Council) does not have enough land with planning applications identified for the number of houses needed for the next five years. Rushcliffe say that they have 5.2 years – the developer (of course) disagrees.
The developer sets out their argument in the document called “NOTE_ON_RUSHCLIFFE_5_YEAR_HOUSING_SUPPLY-1987903”
Have a look and see who you agree with – the local council or the company employed by the developer based in Cheshire. If you agree with Rushcliffe that there is enough housing planned and agreed already then say so.
Even then, a developer would have to show that using the land for housing (under the ‘Grey Belt’ rules) would not undermine the following purposes of Green Belts: “a) to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; b) to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another; c) to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment; d) to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and e) to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.” (National Planning Policy Framework Paragraph 143).
Do you think that this land serves these purposes? If so then it might not be allowed to be taken out of the Green Belt.
And even then, to get permission to build, the developer needs to show how they would deliver, “necessary improvements to local or national infrastructure; and the provision of new, or improvements to existing, green spaces that are accessible to the public. New residents should be able to access good quality green spaces within a short walk of their home, whether through onsite provision or through access to offsite spaces”. (National Planning Policy Framework Paragraph 156).
Do you think that the developer’s proposals show that they will do what’s needed to improve local infrastructure? Do the proposals create new or improved green spaces, accessible to the public?
In February 2025, following multiple rounds of consultation and a referendum, the Tollerton Neighbourhood Plan was adopted. Government guidance sets out that, “Neighbourhood plans, when brought into force, become part of the development plan for the neighbourhood area”, “A neighbourhood plan attains the same legal status as a local plan (and other documents that form part of the statutory development plan) once it has been approved at a referendum” and “a neighbourhood plan forms part of the development plan and sits alongside the local plan prepared by the local planning authority”.
Within the Tollerton Neighbourhood Plan there are a number of Objectives. They are as follows
- To celebrate and look after the tranquillity, landscape and heritage within our parish whilst keeping community at its heart.
- To create a village hub with shops, services and community spaces that the parish can be proud of.
- To ensure that the design and appearance of any new development make a positive contribution to local character and sense of place.
- To promote healthy and sustainable living habits by encouraging the use of ‘green’ modes of travel around the parish to reduce the parish’s emissions and reliance on the car.
- To protect existing areas of green space, including the green buffer to the north of the village, and ensure future development contributes to the creation of a strong network of green biodiverse spaces and corridors.
- To ensure road and transport improvements create streets and spaces that are safe, attractive and prioritise the most vulnerable road users first.
- To support existing businesses and encourage start-ups and independents that will contribute to the green economy and are sympathetic to the rural setting of the parish.
- To encourage the delivery of community facilities and services to meet the needs of the parish today and in the future.
- To encourage the self-contained Sustainable Urban Extension to come forward as a new and successful settlement that remains well connected with Tollerton through good infrastructure and community links.
Do you think that this proposal for 200 houses is in line with those Objectives? You might want to particularly look at Objectives 1, 3, 5 and 6.
Further on in the Neighbourhood Plan, various policies are set out, as follows;
Policy 6: The Green Buffer: “Proposals for development should not reduce or diminish the physical and visual separation established by the Green Buffer between the settlement of Tollerton and the sustainable urban extension Land East of Gamston/North of Tollerton.
Does this proposal reduce or diminish the separation between the existing village and the potential development at the Airport site (aka “the sustainable urban extension Land East of Gamston/North of Tollerton”)
Policy 7: Local Character and the Historic Environment: “All new development will be expected to respect, and where practicable, enhance the physical attributes and historic assets and local built and cultural character of the Parish. … Applicants will be expected to set out how their design proposals contribute positively to this local character through:
plot sizes, building lines and density
architectural style, use of materials and detailing
boundary treatments and other landscape features”
Do you think that the proposed size of the houses and their gardens and how close they are together fits in with the rest of how the village is at the moment?
Policy 13: Design in New Development: “All new development (including extensions and alterations) should actively reinforce the existing natural and built character of the parish. Proposals within existing built up areas should seek to identify and respond to local character through appropriate scale, mass and plot sizes in addition to use of materials and landscaping“.
Similarly, do you think the ambition to put 200 houses on this land means that the houses will be similar in size and with similar gardens and drives to the houses next to them on Burnside Grove?
If there are other concerns or issues that you want to raise then of course you should – please make sure to personalise your comments but keep them linked to the planning ‘rules’ as that will have the most impact.
To respond
Search for 25/02016/OUT at https://planningon-line.rushcliffe.gov.uk/online-applications/ to see all the documents and for the form where you can send in your comments