New primary school, 1,200 homes and country park included in plan for major new Bassetlaw development

More than 1,000 homes and a primary school are part of major new plans for a large housing development which will extend a Bassetlaw village.

Developer Howard (Retford) has put forward the proposals for land to the south of Orsdall village.

The plans include as many as 1,200 homes, a local centre, indoor and outdoor sports pitches, a primary school, a community hub, a care home, a community open space and a country park.

New documents submitted to Bassetlaw Council confirm the development – based on fields south of Retford Golf Club – would be accessed from Ollerton Road and Brecks Road.

The proposals are not yet a full planning application and are instead a scoping report, indicaqting the developer is investigating whether the site can handle the wider development.

However, the company has revealed some early details, which show the homes would be up to two-and-a-half storeys in height, while the primary school, local centre and community hub would all be two storeys.

The care and elderly living facility, it adds, would be up to three storeys.

In documents, the company said: “The proposals will include a comprehensive landscaping scheme, sustainable drainage system, blue and green infrastructure, new access structure and highways improvements, public open space, ecological enhancements and pedestrian routes.”

Papers confirm the majority of the site is listed as being in ‘flood zone one’, meaning it is considered at low risk for flooding.

However, western parts of the land are in flood zones two and three, with higher flood risks meaning no structures or buildings will be placed on this part of the land.

Instead, the developer says it plans on creating the country park and confirmed it will include features such as ponds to reduce the risk of flooding.

It adds: “The western parcel of the site is proposed to comprise a country park and will therefore not contain any built development.

“The country park will include features such as large ponds, which will appropriately mitigate the higher flood risk in the area.”

The developer confirmed it will conduct further assessments and provide the authority with extra reports, including on landscaping and design, if its early scoping report is given planning approval.

Nottinghamshire Council, the local highways authority, has also asked the company to provide a transport assessment in order to relay ‘strong reservations’ about its potential impact.

In a consultation response, the council said: “This authority has strong reservations as to whether the development can be made to be acceptable in highways terms with respect to sustainable travel, highway network capacity, highways safety and environmentally.”

The authority added that it will not provide a supporting or objecting verdict on the development until after Bassetlaw District Council’s new local housing plan is approved by the Government.

Labour-led Bassetlaw Council submitted the housing plan – which sets out where thousands of homes will be built over the next 15 years – earlier this summer and will find out whether it is approved in the coming months.

The authority will also discuss the assessments from Howard (Retford) at a later date.