Fears new £23m estate would stretch town roads

A £23.1m plan to create 84 new homes in a Nottinghamshire town has been announced.

But the development off Fisher Close, Sutton-in-Ashfield, has been met with fears the area’s road network could become overstretched and unsafe.

Developer Avant Homes Central submitted full plans to Ashfield District Council on Monday for its Silverhill Edge scheme, approved in principle in May 2023.

But Nottinghamshire county and Ashfield district councillor for the area Helen-Ann Smith has said the junction with Fisher Close “cannot cope” with existing levels of housing.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Developers are crawling all over Ashfield - no green land is safe.

“The junction of Fisher Close clearly cannot cope with the current number of houses, never mind a further 84, and I think the application for this site is for far too many houses.”

Early ‘outline’ approval for the site was previously granted in May 2023, with the new plans for the full design now submitted.

Avant Homes Central director in charge Matt Barker said the site is “a fantastic location” for the developer to build “a new thriving community”.

The site would be made up of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes, with eight being classed as affordable.

Ms Smith has called the application in to be decided by the district council's planning committee over concerns for highway safety and the “intensification” of the site.

If plans are accepted, work is expected to begin in August 2025, with the first residents expected to move in by April 2026.

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