The original application to build 1,200 houses on the agricultural land to the east and north-east of Sharphill Wood pre-dates the founding of the Friends group in 2008. In the event, the developers claimed that this plan was uneconomic and eventually submitted a revised application for considerably more houses.
The Friends submitted objections to this application but, as a conservation group, not a campaigning group, we did not formally take part in the active opposition by the Sharphill Action Group (though many members did in an individual capacity.)
However the group has been very active throughout in seeking adequate measures to mitigate the adverse effects that the development would have on the wood. This has involved a lot of effort, not all of which has resulted in positive outcomes for us.
In 2015 we produced and circulated a document laying out what we believed to be the minimum steps necessary to mitigate the effects of the new development on the wood. We focussed on:
- ensuring an adequate gap (‘buffer zone’) between the wood and the new development, planted with suitable trees/shrubs and established before the houses were occupied
- provision of wildlife corridors to allow access to and from the wood to other natural habitats
- protection of the wood boundary against unrestricted access points (which would result in multiple paths, and considerable habitat degradation, away from the rights of way)
- provision of a good sized park as a public amenity to reduce pressure on the wood
We have also campaigned for a secure storage facility for our equipment (wheelbarrows, spades, loppers, saws, helmets etc), all of which is inconveniently stored in members’ sheds and garages at present (mostly in the chair’s garden shed).
Some of our requests were incorporated, somewhat watered down, in the Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document. Over the years we have continued to press the council to ensure that these mitigation measures were adhered to – in correspondence, responses to planning applications, and at annual site meetings with a council representative. The Group has continued to press for an expansion of the area reserved for the community park (back to the 2007 size).
On 18 March 2015 we called a meeting with Oxalis and fpcr, two companies who were working for the developers. We were shown a detailed plan of the proposed plantings in the buffer zone and were pleased to see that a fence will be erected around the wood, which would help to restrict access to the official entry points; also a hedge to link the wood with the Spinney, something we had proposed as a wildlife corridor. This plan also showed a proposed artificial badger sett.The plan for the ‘buffer zone’ included a ‘close mown grass ride’ through the north eastern section.
Eventually in 2015 permission was granted for even more (1,500) houses and alongside a considerably reduced area (to approx 30%) for a community park.
In February 2016 a meeting was held with Rushcliffe Borough Council at which our concerns were raised and the importance of enforcing the agreed mitigation measures was emphasised.
The proposed fence was erected in the summer of 2018. The construction was poor and parts were quickly damaged through vandalism and theft. Also the contractor had left several gaps in the fence. On 4 December 2018 two Friends met Councillor Robinson at the wood and showed him the problems. The buffer zone was planted in the winter of 2018/19 and we were unimpressed with the quality of the planting. A site meeting was held on 1 August 2019 with RBC planners and our reservations expressed.
At our annual site meeting with the representatives of RBC and NWT in August 2019 the gaps in the fence were raised yet again. RBC’s representative stated that “if any of the Mitigation measures mentioned eg fence, stiles, whips, wildlife corridor hedge etc. fail, then the Planning Permission granted to the Developers is void and the work will not be signed off as complete”
In July 2020 further discussions were held with representatives of Bovis (for the developers). We walked with them around the wood, pointing out the gaps in the fence, its poor construction, and existing damage.
Since then the personnel changes both within the developers and the Council have hampered our attempts to engage with anyone in order to affect changes.
October/December 2021
In September 2021 a local resident (also a Friend of Sharphill Wood) made specific measurements of the gap between the Contractor’s fence at the boundary of the development and the post-and-rail fence around the wood. The distance measured was less than the 40m specified in the planning permission at several points. The resident subsequently sent a letter to Rushcliffe Borough Council outlining deficiencies in the Edwalton housing development to date.
In summary they are
– that the development has been built closer to the wood than the agreed 40 metres
– Post and rail fencing put round the perimeter is not fit for purpose and is lready falling apart or in some places incomplete
– Quality of tree planting in buffer is poor.
– No attempt been made to create the agreed wildflower areas.
– Excavated earth dumped on Community Park area.
– The agreed wildlife corridor from the wood to the bridlepath behind the cemetery has not even been started on.
Following this the Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy Implementation Group also wrote to the council expressing similar concerns.
To update the parties concerned Councillor Robinson called a meeting at Rushcliffe Arena on 6 December 2021. We are pleased to say that this has resulted in regular “Sharphill Stakeholder” meetings held by Cllr Robinson with representatives from Pedals, Sharphill Action Group, Friends of Sharphill Wood as well as council officials and other councillors every couple of months.
November 2023
To date there have been 6 “Sharphill Stakeholder” meetings with the Council which have, more recently, included the developers and representatives of residents of the new development. The Friends continue to raise the state of the fence around the wood, the absence of the promised wildlife corridor (hedge), as well as other issues. Unfortunately the proceedings of these meetings are confidential so we are not at liberty to share any notes or minutes.
In a significant development we have prepared a comprehensive report concerning the state of the fence around the wood and have submitted this to the Council. We hope this will result in some action to remedy the inadequacies of the fence.
February 2024
The Friends submitted detailed comments in response to the recent application to Notts County Council by the developers, who want to move earth from the building site area north and east of the wood onto the fields to the north and west. (Thanks to Richard for his work on this submission.) A number of technical objections were raised and the absence of the hedge scheduled to link the wood to the spinney to the north west was pointed out yet again.
