600 homes re-approved in Derbyshire due to council error

Two weeks ago, plans for the 1,100-home New House Farm estate on Etwall Road in Mickleover were approved by the South Derbyshire District Council.

This decision enabled the developers to construct and have people live in 617 homes before the £225m Derby A38 project construction begins in three years. This increased the previous limit of 317 homes.

Currently, 154 houses have been constructed at the New House Farm area by Avant Homes.

During the initial planning meeting, the council made a mistake by allowing only the developers’ agent to speak, neglecting the objectors who had sent in a letter.

Due to this error, the council held another meeting last night (Tuesday, August 22). After extensive discussions, the plans were once again approved, marking the second approval this month.

In the time between the two meetings, the Government also gave its renewed approval for the Derby A38 works, which had been on hold for two years due to legal challenges.

Council’s head of planning, Steffan Saunders has confirmed that National Highways, who initially proposed the restriction of 317 homes to be built by the completion of the A38 works in 2018, now backs the new proposal. They arrived at this decision after reviewing the traffic data gathered by the developers. According to this data, there will be a rise in traffic due to the site, but it will have a minimal effect on the A38 Kingsway junction.

However, the campaign group that previously stopped the A38 plans has announced another legal challenge. This means there won’t be a clear schedule for the work for a while. The developers estimate that it might take around two years before anything starts.