Whilst construction continues apace on Bloor Homes’ 167 property ‘Fairham Green’ development, residents in the Grange Farm area have discovered the house-builder is already eyeing up its next Green Belt site further along Wilford Road.
Questions were asked when surveyors from Greenhatch Contractors appeared outside ‘Ruddington Day Nursery’ today {Tuesday 16th August} and began taking measurements along that stretch of the B680 into the village. It was discovered they were working on behalf of Bloor Homes – assessing the site access to the current agricultural land between the lane to Lodge Farm and the adjacent area of excavated land north of Packman Dyke (recently lowered to create a ‘flood plain’).
Whilst no planning application has yet been submitted, it’s understood what remains of that field is already owned by Bloor’s – which is now getting ready to see if planners from Rushcliffe Borough Council (RBC) might permit it to build there, too! If so, it would add to the hundreds of other new houses already approved and being built on Ruddington’s former Green Belt as part of RBC’s Local Plan Part 2.
During early consultations, this area – known as RUD2, (shown below in light blue) was flagged by RBC for possible development, before being rejected. However, a significant strip of its southern end has since been dug out as the ‘flood plain’ required by The Environment Agency to secure planning permission for RUD1 – meaning there would now be a ‘gap’ between the existing Bloor’s estate and any new one.
Dismayed villagers near the proposed development are already preparing to oppose any future planning application. One of them told RUDDINGTON.info: “Local residents are so disappointed and angry about the ongoing lack of regard Rushcliffe seem to have for Ruddington as a village in the countryside. We won’t have any Green Belt left at this rate! They care more for allowing developers to line their pockets than they do for their residents who pay council tax to them every month. Bloor Homes are taking over the countryside with unattractive housing developments that all look exactly the same.”
It’s also thought another planning application is imminent for the large field north of Grange Farm (below) after an initial submission for a small Archery Range was withdrawn earlier this year, for the development of another applicant’s proposals to have new sports fields and facilities covering the whole site.
