A town housing development has been tipped for approval after being sent back to the drawing board over a number of concerns.
Developer Keepmoat Homes has been planning to build 80 homes off Grove Road in Retford, as part of its Fairygrove development.
The site, which is part of a conservation area and is made up of agricultural land and a former horticultural nursery, is around 1.8 km from the town centre.
It sits between the East Coast Mainline and London Road.
Bassetlaw District Council had allocated the site for 61 homes, and the increase in planned houses prompted fears from dozens of nearby residents.
The application was initially submitted for up to 95 homes, before being scaled back to 80.
One resident, Tracey Simpson, said: “The Fairygrove site was identified in the approved Local Plan for 61 properties, the current planning application [is] for 80 properties, [and] if approved will severely impact my current privacy and peace – and my concern regarding the boundary now adds to the impact.”
Another resident, Lynda Armitage, added: “The proposal represents over-development with harmful consequences for traffic, local services, the environment, and the character of the area.
“By reducing the number of houses on the site could reduce the above impacts.”
Plans went before the council’s planning committee back in May, but a decision was delayed.
Councillors said they had concerns over flood risks, the impacts on local roads, and the developer’s inability to provide cash for infrastructure improvements.
Nottinghamshire County Council, as the Highway Authority, said the transport assessment and conventional street design that had been proposed “falls short of what is required for a new development to properly tie into an existing neighbourhood in terms of active movement provision”.
It has therefore proposed a number of conditions, including the widening of some footways to promote cycling and walking, as well as proper boundaries to separate the development from existing houses in the area.
To make developments more acceptable, developers often provide what is known as Section 106 contributions, the money from which typically goes towards bus service improvements, and health, employment and education opportunities.
However, if a developer cannot make a reasonable profit, which is set by the Government at 17.5 percent, these financial contributions can be waived.
Councillors said they had concerns over an assessment which concluded the development would not be possible if this cash was provided, and an independent assessor was appointed to double-check.
Propery and construction consultancy firm Gleeds was appointed to assess the viability assessment further, but it concluded that Keepmoat had underestimated their overall build costs by around £1.7 million.
The assessment said the previous assessment was supported, and that the proposal would be unviable if it were subject to the planning obligations.
Meanwhile, the county council, also acting as flood authority, raised no objections.
Plans have been tipped for approval for a second time at a meeting on Wednesday, July 15.
The Fairygrove development is one of seven allocation sites in Retford, including Trinity Farm, Milnercroft, The Former Elizabethan High School, St Michael’s View, Station Road and Ordsall South.
A total of 10,013 homes need to be built across the district by 2037, including 1,802 in Retford.