Gedling homes to be built next to bypass despite concerns

The homes will be built either side of Colliery Way

Plans for homes next to a controversial Nottinghamshire bypass have been approved, despite concerns they will be "detrimental" to the area.

The project to build 29 apartments and eight houses either side of Colliery Way - known as Gedling Access Route - was submitted by Killarney Homes.

Gedling Borough Council's planning committee approved the plans despite objections from three councillors.

The £49m road opened in 2022 despite fears about a loss of green space.

During Wednesday's meeting, Conservative councillors Stuart Bestwick and Mike Adams raised issues with how the buildings would look within the current environment, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

'A sore thumb'

Mr Bestwick said: "I believe this development is detrimental to the amenity of the area and of an incongruent appearance.

"Some of these buildings are three-storey blocks of flats at the top of the Gedling Access Road, overlooking the entire Gedling valley area, visible from the valley below.

"For want of a better analogy, they are going to stick out like a sore thumb."

Mr Adams added: "Is this really what we want in those key locations?"

A pothole forced a partial closure of the road last year

Three detached homes and an apartment building featuring six flats are to be built on the eastern part of the land, next to Clementine Drive and on one side of Colliery Way, the LDRS said.

Five detached homes are also to be built on the western side and accessed from Mapperley Plains.

The 2.3-mile (3.8km) bypass, which links the A612 with Mapperley Plains, opened in March last year after receiving more than 100 objections from residents and businesses.

The road was partly closed in January while a pothole was fixed - after the county council said it hoped one would not appear for "something like 10 years" when it opened.