SCHOOL FEARS AT HOUSING PLANS
Village Voice No 258 May 2014
by LUCY STEPHENS
FEARS have been raised over Melbourne school places after plans emerged for further houses in the village.
Developer Alexander Bruce wants to build 22 new homes next to the Millbrook Estate on Station Road. But concerns are growing over schooling provision after Derbyshire County Council had to turn several children within the Melbourne Infant School catchment area away from the school this year due to lack of space. Mum Alison Staley, who lives in Millbrook Estate
Artist’s impression of the planned development.
and is strongly objecting to the proposed new development, said in a letter to the Village Voice, which can be seen in full on Page 18: “Melbourne is becoming too big too fast. Our infrastructure simply cannot cope with
l Children from Aston-on-Trent School try their hand at African drumming as part of their Global Village Week activities. Full story on Page 12.
Melbourne & District
any further increase on demands. Our schools, doctors and dentist surgeries are full to bursting. “The Millbrook estate, with around 130 new homes, has already increased pressure on our local facilities beyond anyone's expectations. There are lots of families here with two or three children of school age.” Further objections to the new development include the impact on traffic and wildlife. Alexander Bruce – a local family business which is responsible for new homes on Ashby Road and Church Street – is proposing houses ranging from two to fivebedroomed on Station Road, of which seven would be affordable, with room for 52 cars and a children’s play area. Earlier this year developer Charles Church announced plans to put more than 70 homes on fields next to The Woodlands near the Packhorse pub. South Derbyshire District Council has said it plans to build 13,454 new houses by 2028 to meet the district’s expanding housing needs. Most of these are contained within Part 1 of the Local Plan which details land in the district earmarked for developments of 100 houses or more. While there are no single developments of this scale planned for Melbourne, the shortfall of 600 homes will be made up of smaller developments to be spread over the district. When given planning consent developers can be asked to donate money to support local services – for example, schools – in the form of a “Section 106” agreement. Developer Davidson’s provided £240,000 when it built the Millbrook Estate homes, which funded most of a new classroom at Melbourne Infant School to accommodate increased numbers of children. Alexander Bruce director James Ottewell said the proposed development would help boost Melbourne’s sustainability in terms of its shops. He said: “There’s a need to deliver good housing in places like Melbourne as opposed to big urban spaces. This would deliver affordable homes for local people.” An online petition objecting to the plans is available at: bit.ly/SeUnyP n Council objects – Page 5 n Civic Society view – Page 6
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