Hucknall's Ashfield Independent Councillors 'furious' about plans to build on Whyburn Farm

Hucknall's Ashfield Independent Councillors have hit back at housing plans tabled by their own party.

It was announced earlier this week following an Ashfield Independents' cabinet meeting that the plans for over 8000 homes to be built in the Ashfield District would go to a public consultation in October.

Among the controversial plans, are proposals to build 3000 of the houses on Whyburn Farm in Hucknall which is greenbelt land.

This has however, drawn heavy criticism from Hucknall's Ashfield Independents who are calling on the town's MP Mark Spencer to intervene, and for the people of the town to have their say during the consultation period.

Speaking exclusively to Hucknall Nub News, Lee Waters, who represents Hucknall North at District level said: "The Ashfield Independent Hucknall Councillors have lobbied and have objected internally because we haven't been happy with this situation at all. The Council will be launching a consultation, we'd like all of Hucknall involved in this and to get people's thoughts across and opinions.

"I certainly don't want to see 3000 new houses in Hucknall. I don't think the current infrastructure can cope with it and if these houses are imposed on us then there needs to be appropriate infrastructure.

"I will say that the whole reason for these house building targets, is some arbitrary building target essentially set by the Conservative government. To that point we're actually going to be writing to Mark Spencer as our local MP, and more than that, the government Chief Whip, and we're going to invite him to join us on a campaign to reduce Ashfield's housing target by 3000. That should eliminate that scale in Hucknall.

"It gets deeper, for example this whole process may be immaterial if the government go ahead with controversial planning reforms and that could lead to about 10,000 plus houses in Hucknall. And that's something Mark Spencer has been asked on, does he support those planning reforms or not, and as yet, he's not answered.

"We've got as our MP one of the most powerful people in the whole of the UK, he could stop this, he's got the ear of the whole Tory government, he's telling them how to vote. The only person more powerful is Boris Johnson. If someone has the power to stop this, it's Mark Spencer so I'd like him to support Hucknall for once."

Dave Shaw, who also represents Hucknall North for the Ashfield Independents, is equally furious.

Speaking exclusively to Hucknall Nub News, he said: "We would like the whole of Hucknall to get involved with this it's not just going to be a Hucknall West issue, I firmly advocate that that land should not under any circumstances be built on, that is our buffer, that's our escape area, hundreds of people use that on a weekly basis to actually get out and relax.

"The whole reason is to meet this arbitrary house building target set by the Conservative government. Mark Spencer is at the forefront of this. Mark Spencer is the politician who can do something about this at government level. The targets set, they're too high.

"I must say that any new housing must be met with appropriate infrastructure as well. We need better roads, better access to health services including doctors' surgeries, better transport, new schools to meet demand including not only primary schools, I'm talking secondary schools here.

"We can build houses but we can't build greenbelt, we can't build green fields and there's no one more passionate about it than me.

"We're fighting like cat and dog in there, we're working as hard as we can and without the support of the people round Hucknall giving us their backing we will not stop this; we need people's support."

The six-week consultation will begin in October and run through until November.