Hundreds of homes approved for city green wedge

A housing development of up to 350 homes can be build on land designated as green wedge in Derby, despite opposition.

Derby City Council approved the plans for the east of Moorway Lane in Littleover on Thursday.

The site is on the protected Littleover and Sunnyhill green wedge - a planning designation designed to protect open areas of land between settlements.

Objection letters from 220 residents and a 3,390-strong petition by campaign group Greener Littleover contested the scheme, over the loss of green space and the impact on nearby roads.

But a split planning committee approved plans, with the council expected to look at a 20mph speed limit for the area.

Ian Woodhead, the council's development control manager, said there were 9,000 people on the city's housing waiting list, with a "significant imbalance" between the amount of new homes being built and the demand for them.

He said, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, that the "need to drive housing delivery" and benefit of those homes outweighed the impact on the green wedge, neighbouring Millennium Wood and highways.

Alasdair Thorn, an agent speaking on behalf of the applicant, Ainscough Strategic Land, said the development was a "logical extension" to Derby and said the "function" of the protected green wedge would remain.

Councillor Sara Bolton, who proposed a 20mph speed limit should be adopted on Moorways Lane, said: "My main concerns are traffic and highways, and we must protect the wildlife and the habitat that is there.

"Every morning I go down Blagreaves Lane and it is gridlocked, you can't get anywhere.

"We need the homes, I am not disputing that, but what we need to do is protect the community that is there already."

Councillor Matthew Holmes said: "I don't like this application at all. I think this starts to join up Littleover, Blagreaves and Findern. In fact, I don't not like it, I hate it. This is just incremental erosion of green wedge."

Three councillors voted to approve the plans while three voted against, with committee chairman councillor Jerry Pearce using his casting vote to approve the scheme.

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