Developer submits scaled-down Kedleston housing plans

The new plan calls for 200 new homes instead of the 400 homes proposed in the earlier one

Developers who want to build 400 homes on the edge of a historic estate have submitted a second, smaller proposal.

Catesby Estates is appealing a decision to turn down its original plan for homes on greenbelt land close to Grade One listed Kedleston Hall near Derby.

It has now proposed a reduced development of 200 homes on the land.

Campaigner Isobel Shorrock said one house on the land would be too many and "this back up plan" had made opponents more resolute.

Amber Valley Borough Council refused the earlier plans last summer but an appeal hearing is due in July.

The homes were proposed for an area close to the National Trust-run Kedleston Hall

The new plans call for "a formal children's play area and informal open space" that will blend with the area's wildlife habitats.

The project would also offer "a range of house types and tenures" and help the local authority reach its target of delivering almost 1,000 new homes a year over the next five years, the developer said.

Ms Shorrock, from campaign group Kedleston Voice, said: "One house would be too many. This is heritage land that has been protected for hundreds of years.

"This is their back up plan and it doesn't surprise us. But it does make us more resolute."

Kedleston Hall is an 18th Century mansion run by the National Trust and home to the Curzon family.