Toton green belt housing plans dropped

Controversial plans to build 800 homes on green belt land in Nottinghamshire have been shelved.

Some local residents had campaigned against Broxtowe Borough Council's proposals to build on land, off Stapleford Lane, in Toton.

However, councillors decided to remove the site from its preferred list at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

It is part of proposals to build nearly 6,000 new homes in the Broxtowe area by 2026.

'Strong feelings'

Councillor Steve Barber, chairman of development control at the council, said: "We are a democratic council. We consulted, we listened and we acted.

"We listened to the people of Toton, they came up with some very good points, solid reasons why they shouldn't put the development there.

"This is one of the biggest decisions this council is going to face for a generation. We're going to make it properly and we're going to make it open."

He said the authority did not yet have an alternative site for the housing and another public consultation would be carried out.

Christine Batham, from the Toton Environmental Protection Society, said: "I'm very pleased. I've just come back from walking the dog around those fields and even on a miserable morning it is still the lungs of our area.

"We didn't shout or scream but we just showed that a lot of people feel very strongly about this situation."