A major housing scheme would bring 234 homes, new open space and a redesigned A6005 junction to land south of Derby Road – but local consultation responses show strong concern about flooding, traffic and pressure on services.
A full planning application has been submitted for 234 homes on land at the western edge of Draycott.
Homes by honey Ltd wants to demolish existing farm buildings and develop a 9.41-hectare site south of the A6005 Derby Road, around Banksfields Farm. The farmhouse and nearby commercial units are outside the application boundary and would remain.
The proposal includes 129 market homes and 105 affordable homes – 45 per cent of the development. The homes would range from one to five bedrooms, with most buildings two storeys high and occasional two-and-a-half-storey properties at prominent points.
The precise split between affordable rent and intermediate housing is still listed as to be confirmed. The affordable provision would be secured through a Section 106 legal agreement if permission is granted.
Plans show a central green and play area, walking routes, landscaping, sustainable drainage features and around 2.5 hectares of open space when the attenuation basins are included. Solar panels are also shown on a number of homes.
Vehicles would enter from Derby Road through an upgraded junction with a right-turn ‘ghost island’. A separate pedestrian, cycle and emergency route is proposed, together with a new footway along the site frontage and pedestrian refuges to reach bus stops.
The applicant’s transport assessment predicts 119 vehicle movements between 8am and 9am on a weekday – 32 arrivals and 87 departures. It predicts 107 movements between 5pm and 6pm – 75 arrivals and 32 departures. The report concludes that the surrounding road network could accommodate the development, although this will be assessed independently by highway officers during the application process.
The site is designated Green Belt and is recorded as Grade 2, or ‘very good quality’, agricultural land. The applicant argues that it meets the national definition of ‘grey belt’ and says the need for housing, including affordable housing, outweighs the harm. That case will be tested by Erewash Borough Council before any decision is made.
A public consultation carried out for the developer generated 97 responses. Its Statement of Community Involvement says the majority expressed objection or strong concern. Flood risk and drainage were raised by 73 respondents, pressure on local services by 68, traffic and highway safety by 66, and the principle of Green Belt or grey belt development by 66.
Most of the site is in Flood Zone 1, while small areas on the southern boundary touch Flood Zones 2 and 3. No homes are proposed in those higher-risk areas. The drainage strategy proposes two attenuation basins, designed to hold water during storms and release it at a controlled rate. Foul water would be pumped to the public sewer in Derby Road, subject to technical approval from Severn Trent Water.
The biodiversity assessment shows that the current design would produce a 32.81 per cent on-site loss in area-habitat units and a 2.35 per cent increase in hedgerow units. It says the development cannot achieve the required 10 per cent biodiversity net gain on the site alone and would need off-site habitat units or, as a last resort, statutory credits. Those measures would need to be secured for at least 30 years.
Other technical reports recommend enhanced glazing and ventilation for some homes nearest Derby Road, together with a 2.5-metre noise barrier near existing industrial activity. Ground investigations also identified contamination in part of the former farm area and recommend a clean soil cover and a formal remediation strategy.
The arboricultural report says all high- and moderate-quality trees would be retained. One tree covered by a preservation order would be removed to create the access, although the report describes it as a stump of negligible amenity value.
The application has not been approved. Erewash Borough Council will consult statutory bodies and the public before deciding whether planning permission should be granted.
The Planning Portal reference is PP-14945260.
