Planning Report

Planning Report

Growth Point

Developers Catsby Estates (Residential) Ltd have made an application to vary the conditions of the outline planning permission granted in 2011 for the construction of up to 3,150 dwellings on land south of Newark, between the A46 and the A1. The development will include two local centres, including retail and commercial premises, a 60 bed care home, 2 primary schools, day nurseries/crèches, multi-use community buildings including a medical centre and a mixed use commercial estate of up to 50 hectares. There are 152 documents associated with this application!

The original application was for a first stage development on the Farndon side of the town with access primarily from the now dualled A46. The developers now wish to begin Phase 1 with 1,000 homes on land east of Newark, involving access from the A1 via Bowbridge Road and London Road. We wonder why. Might it have something to do with the original Phase 1 area being on a flood plain? Members may remember our photograph taken from Hawton Bridge in Issue 68, February 2012, showing the extent of River Devon flood waters.

There appears to be no provision for affordable homes in this new application, despite this being one of the main reasons for the development. The chief concern, as ever, is the prospect of increased traffic congestion and tailbacks at the London / Bowbridge Road junction which will further make Newark an impossible place to visit and do business in.

There is also the major issue of the proposal for the A1/A46 link road that was to be a priority in the original plan. We will keep a close eye on progress, or lack of it! When the Labour government launched the scheme 30 areas in England involving 45 towns and cities were confirmed as New Growth Points. We wonder what progress has been made in other areas?
Two Adjoining Restaurant Units at Northgate Retail Park

Our efforts were recently concentrated on opposing the application to build a Costa Coffee and Subway outlet on the corner of the old brewery entrance.

The proposed building was a futuristic creation, which would have looked alien to its surroundings and, in our opinion, would have been harmful to the setting of the adjacent listed Warwick and Richardsons Brewery building.


Image – Location of proposed Subway and Costa Coffee.
The development would have been at the loss of 26 car parking spaces and it was on these grounds that both the Town and District Council rejected the application. In addition, the extra traffic generated by customers to the outlets would have added to the traffic congestion – particularly egress from the site. As reported in the Advertiser on January 15^th one councillor spent 8 minutes listening to the whole of J. S. Bach’s Toccata & Fugue in D minor while waiting in the queue!

Land off North Gate

The large river-side site adjacent to the brewery was originally destined for 99 dwellings and two retail units and was approved by the District Council in 2005. In November 2012 the landowners ditched the scheme and applied to build a number of large retail outlets for bulky goods on the site, including a supermarket. We objected. The latest proposal, supported by the Town Council, is for 28 semi-detached town/mews houses, with 56 integral car parking spaces along the river as a first stage development.

We will report on the outcome of the proposal in due course!

Deincourt Hotel


Image – Land off Northgate proposed for development.
The owners of Deincourt Hotel have put forward plans to expand the facilities, by demolishing the old nurses home that has stood empty for the last 10 years and providing 40 more bedrooms. We supported the application. The Town Council approved the application – albeit with reservations on the traffic turning right onto the four-way junction on London Road. The District Council will make the final decision.

Paper Kisses

Back in 2009 the Trust strongly objected to the replacement of the original timber frontage of the shopfront that is now Paper Kisses in Paxtons Court with a bright red aluminium frame. The Conservation Officer recommended refusal but it went ahead. We are pleased to report that the owners now wish to rectify the situation and have commissioned a local architect (a member of the Trust, as it happens!) to prepare drawings for approval.

And finally –

The Robin Hood Cottages

You may have read in the Newark Advertiser (12/02/15) that the Nottinghamshire Building Preservation Trust has been seeking funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to finance a 3-month feasibility study to look into how the former Robin Hood Hotel may be developed. The Newark Advertiser reported that Vanessa Harbar, Head of HLF East Midlands, said: “These buildings are an important part of Newark’s history but are currently in a poor state and HLF looks forward to seeing how the Trust plans to bring them back into sustainable use.” As part of the contract between the District Council and the developer, the restoration scheme by MF Strawson was to be completed by November 2015 and failure to do so will enable the Council to make a legal claim against the developer.

Tim Bradford of Banks Long & Co speaking on behalf of the developer MF Strawson observered, “We have been working with NBPT over recent months and are committed to looking at all options for the redevelopment of this site. The NBPT initiative is just one of those options and we have made it clear to all concerned that should we be in a position to implement our planning permission for the whole site, then we will have no hesitation in moving along the route of delivering a comprehensive scheme.”

We hope that is clear! Comprehensively! We await all outcomes with interest!