Clowne Garden Village: Campaigner wants poll on 1,800-home development

If approved, the Clowne Garden Village would be built on greenfield land between Barlborough and Clowne

A campaigner who has opposed a 1,800-home development in Derbyshire is urging a parish council set up a poll to gauge public opinion.

Bolsover District Council is considering an application by Waystone Ltd between Clowne and Barlborough.

The development - called Clowne Garden Village - has led to hundreds of objections from residents.

Campaigner Dom Webb said he believes a poll would give people the chance to have a their say on the plans.

The wider 24-hectare application on greenfield land is a mixed development including hundreds of homes, employment space, community and commercial facilities.

The plans were first submitted to Bolsover District Council in 2017.

Petition opposition

The application has since been met with fierce resistance due to concerns around overcrowding, strains on roads and services as well as fears over drainage and flooding.

A petition set up by the Clowne Garden Village Action Group has received more than 1,300 signatures against the development, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A parish poll is a tool which allows for a ballot of local government electors in the parish to be called on any question arising at a meeting.

Although non-binding, meaning the results do not have to be followed, they provide an indication of support for, or opposition to, specific matters relating to Clowne Parish Council.

Mr Webb said: "Our action group is going to trigger the parish poll process so that the question of whether residents want the Clowne Garden Village planning development can be asked.

"Without debating the merits of the planning application, it is fair to say we won't struggle getting the parish poll approved in terms of calling the meeting, voting on a question and triggering the parish poll."