A motion calling for a formal public consultation over the future of council-owned farmland in Sawley has been rejected by Erewash borough councillors.
The proposal concerned land opposite the Nags Head on Tamworth Road, which has reportedly been farmed by the Grammer family for more than 100 years.
The motion, proposed by Reform UK councillor Paul Maginnis and seconded by Cllr Dan Price, asked the council to pause further work on the site, consult residents about its future and bring the final proposal back to Full Council for a vote.
Erewash Borough Council intends to create a nature reserve on the land and says there are no plans for housing, commercial development or parking.
Following a debate at Thursday evening’s Full Council meeting, the motion was defeated by a show of hands.
Petition attracted 1,500 signatures
Introducing the motion, Cllr Maginnis said the Grammer family had been given notice to leave the land in October 2025 without discussions about a possible rent increase or its offer to purchase it.
He said residents and ward councillors had been “blindsided” when contractors arrived in April and carried out work involving trees and hedgerows.
After being contacted by residents, Cllr Maginnis launched a petition calling for a public consultation. According to the motion, it attracted 1,500 signatures in five days.
Cllr Maginnis said he was not necessarily opposed to creating a nature reserve, but believed retaining some form of farmland should be among the options considered.
“All I’m asking for is a public consultation,” he told councillors.
He said a lack of communication had created a vacuum in which speculation about the site had spread.
Cllr Maginnis also criticised the council’s response to his correspondence and said he should not have to attend a climate change working group to discover what was happening within his ward.
Council says planning process will allow comments
Labour councillor Mark Alfrey defended the proposed nature restoration project and said the land had been in public ownership for decades.
He told the meeting it had originally been purchased by the former Long Eaton Urban District Council in 1949.
Cllr Alfrey said the council had a responsibility to manage its land in a way which delivered the greatest public benefit and argued that the site offered an opportunity to improve biodiversity and create a valuable natural habitat.
He said initial assessments had been completed, including a tree survey and ecological and archaeological investigations.
“No environmental damage occurred at the time,” he said.
Cllr Alfrey reiterated that there were no proposals for housing, commercial development or parking on the land.
He said changing its use from agricultural land to public open space would require planning permission and that a formal application would be submitted.
“The planning process will provide an opportunity for local residents and other interested parties to review the detailed proposals and submit their comments,” he said.
Cllr Alfrey argued that consultation should be based on firm proposals rather than speculation circulating on social media. He also said he would meet residents and attend a future meeting of Sawley Parish Council.
‘It is already a natural nature reserve’
Conservative councillor Kevin Miller supported the motion and said the land had been managed well by the farming family.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a natural nature reserve,” he said. “It’s got cows on it. It’s got flora and fauna.”
Cllr Miller said he had attended a public meeting organised by Sawley Parish Council and described the strength of anger expressed over the proposals.
Differing views on how to protect the land
Labour councillor Harry Atkinson said he and Cllr Maginnis shared the same fundamental aim of keeping the field as green open space permanently.
However, he disagreed over how that should be achieved.
Cllr Atkinson warned that selling the land to a private owner would mean the council could no longer determine its future use.
“The best way of protecting this land is ensuring that it becomes an enduring nature reserve and no one can build on it,” he said.
He urged councillors to allow the council’s project to proceed and said he was willing to meet residents to discuss it.
Conservative leader supports consultation
Conservative group leader Wayne Major said he supported creating nature reserves but believed residents should be consulted before a decision was made about this particular site.
He said there had been misinformation surrounding the proposals, but argued that this partly reflected poor communication.
Cllr Major expressed concern that the administration may have “jumped to a solution without testing it first”.
He said: “I think pausing a little bit and asking them what they would like to see on the land would turn the tide in Sawley.”
Cllr Major supported the motion on the principle that residents should be asked what they wanted and given clear information about the options.
Motion defeated
Responding at the end of the debate, Cllr Maginnis said he had not spread misinformation about the site.
He said speculation had developed because residents did not know what was happening and repeated his call for a formal consultation that included retaining the land for farming in some form as an option.
Councillors then voted against the motion by a show of hands. No individual voting breakdown was recorded.
The decision means work towards establishing a nature reserve can continue without the separate public consultation requested by the motion.
Residents will, however, be able to comment when a planning application for the change of use is submitted.