Major row over homes off the A52 on the edge of Erewash

400 new homes could be built next to Stoney Lane and the A52. Image by Google Maps.

Derby’s Reform group has warned of a ‘heavy price to pay’ after a huge row broke out over planned locations of 12,500 new homes in the city.

Councillor Tim Prosser, leader of Reform Derby, spoke out his concerns over where thousands of new homes will be built – and claimed his views had been ‘ignored’.

But the city’s Labour administration accused him of ‘playing politics’.

The group claimed Reform were trying to delay the city’s local plan, when doing so would lead to ‘huge’ consequences.

During a Derby City Council meeting councillors voted on whether or not to move forward the city’s future local plan to meet a crucial Government deadline later this year.

The plan sets out where new homes will be built in Derby until 2043.

After a public consultation, strong opposition was raised over a proposed Traveller site in Wilmorton and 400 new homes on land off Stoney Lane next to the A52.

However despite the concerns, the plans to earmark those sites for housing remain.

Now another public consultation is planned. But this will be solely on the “legality and soundness” of the local plan. No more public views on locations will be allowed.

Councillor Prosser argued the local plan would ‘weaken’ attempts to solve a ‘HMO crisis’ in the city and that public open space – such as Shaftesbury Park and Wilmorton Recreation Ground – would be lost for new homes.

He said: “I’ve had four years of being ignored in meetings. The local plan was dictated to us on every level.

“To me putting policy in place that allows people to build on public parks, public open space and school playing fields is a big big mistake.

“We are cramming in more and more homes in areas that we will pay a heavy price for both mentally and for the residents of this city.”

An amendment by the Reform group to make ‘tighter’ policy changes on HMOs [Houses of Multiple Occupation] and parking issues was lost.

Labour leaders warned any changes to the local plan would mean a delay and risk a “free-for-all” for developers to build “wherever they like in the city” without no policy or control in place.

Councillor Shiraz Khan, cabinet member for housing said: “Councillor Prosser has been on the cross-party committee for a year or 18 months. The public consultation was done from January to March.

“He never came out these points then.  [Why he is saying it now] comes down to the fact that it is purely motivated by politics and is not interested in what’s good for the city.”

Derby City Council leader Nadine Peatfield added: “If we walk into Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) without an updated local plan we are walking into a free-for-all of [developers] building whatever they like wherever they like in Derby – because we said they could.”