Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan Consultation – March 2025 – Closes 25th April 2025

The Forum has been made aware that a new draft of the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan has been distributed for Consultation.

The Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan and supporting documents can be viewed and comments submitted on the website:  www.gnplan.org.uk/consultations

The reasons for the new consultation given are:

“In November 2024, there was a consultation on the Publication Draft of the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan. Since this consultation was undertaken an updated National Planning Policy Framework has been published and Gedling Borough Council has decided to withdraw from the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan. 

“Broxtowe Borough, Nottingham City and Rushcliffe Borough Councils are continuing work on the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan. A new Publication Draft (March 2025) has been produced and is now subject to consultation. Key changes include:

  • Policy specific content related to Gedling Borough Council has been removed.
  • Housing targets for Broxtowe and Rushcliffe Borough Councils have been updated to meet the National Planning Policy Framework (2024) transitional arrangements.
  • Additional text has been added to Policy 31 (East of Gamston / North of Tollerton) relating to contributions to infrastructure provision.

The deadline for comments is 5pm on Friday 25th April 2025.

The Forum Steering Group will be reviewing the new text and will be submitting comments and would recommend that you also submit your own comments.

Please note: The previous Regulation 19 Publication Draft, consulted on in November 2024, has been withdrawn. Responses made in relation to this will not be automatically carried forward to this consultation and will not be considered as part of a future examination of the Strategic Plan.

However, you can request that previously made comments are carried forward by selecting the first option on the online response form accessed via https://www.gnplan.org.uk/gnsp25 or emailing contact@gnplan.org.uk.

If you make a response to the consultation let us know through our contact-us page.

Posted in Bardills, Chetwynd Barracks, Consultation, Latest News, Toton Lane East, Toton Lane West | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan Consultation – March 2025 – Closes 25th April 2025

Getting Good Council

This is a reminder about this week’s Beeston & District Civic Society Winter Talk entitled “Getting Good Council” presented by Zulf Darr, Ruth Hyde & Greg Marshall from Broxtowe Borough Council at 7pm Wednesday 12th March at the Royal British Legion in Beeston (doors open at 6.45pm).

This promises to be an interesting insight from each of their respective roles.

 Click on the image below for more information:-

This is the final talk in this season’s winter talks series held by the BDCS.

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Comments on “Toton West” Consultation

This consultation closed on the 17th March 2025. Thanks to all of you who sent us the comments you submitted.


I note from the plans that there appears to be an intention to remove a long standing documented and mapped (on the SK OS Map) public right of way.
This right of way runs from SK 48994 35358 (marked on your plan as a tower) to SK 49077 35398 to SK 49087 35572 to SK 49415 35715 (marked on your plan as the trees at the back of the electricity sub-station).
This well used public right of way must be maintained and must be correctly shown on your plans.
As I am sure you are no doubt aware, it is illegal to close a public right of way under various acts of parliament so this must be a mistake in your drawings, and I assume you will correct this and reissue all of your leaflets.”


Thankyou for giving me the opportunity to comment on your outline proposals for “Toton West”.
As with your previous consultation on “Toton East” the leaflet and website do not give sufficient information to give detailed comments, however:

A major concern is the access road shown connecting to Stapleford Lane. This implies an additional junction onto a road that is already congested for much of the day. In addition to the traffic originating from homes on Toton West and Toton East, the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan suggests that these will be connected to Link Roads to the A52. Traffic will therefore travel along these and across Stapleford Lane to avoid Bardill’s Roundabout. Have traffic studies been performed to consider alternative connectivity?
The “Cycle Link” illustrated between the substation and “Rosemary’s Roses” appears to terminate at the edge of the proposed development, it should be extended to join up with the main vehicular access.
Whilst I am pleased to see that the housing will be built to high standards, the Illustrative Masterplan gives no idea of how the housing will be aligned (to avoid overlooking), what mix of housing is proposed (by size, tenancy, affordability), gardens, etc. and is therefore even less helpful than the outline provided for Toton East.
I also hope that the housing will be built to include Solar PV to help to achieve the Neighbourhood Plan Aspiration of an “Energy Positive” community.
I am pleased to see that the powerlines will be “undergrounded” and hope that this concept is included in the proposals for Toton East
I am concerned about the location of the proposed Railway Station and how this would affect the public open space illustrated.
None of the proposals made by Bloor/Pegasus seem to take into account the expectations of the GNSP for employment (and the associated traffic) in Toton North and Toton South (as defined in the GNSP)
I am extremely disappointed that there appears to be no collaboration with other landowners/developers as required by the Local Plan Examiner when the Part 2 Local Plan was approved. Bloor Homes/Pegasus do not even appear to have collaborated with themselves in the three separate “consultations” on “Toton East”, “Toton West” and “Toton NorthEast”.


I have added comments to the website along the lines of the area is already over congested and to add 420 homes and more in the future, will cause the road network even more issues, the 420 homes means an addition of 820-1000 cars. Followed by no doctors, schools already struggling in the area, local shops etc.
Also they say they are adding a tiny cycle path, we do not live in Holland where people cycle all year round, we live in UK and people will not even walk from the furthest car park space in Tescos to go to the shop door.


Nottingham Post’s take on the subject.


More of our green fields being eaten up
Please leave it alone and look for areas that won’t impact local people and the small bit of green we have left.


Where is the employment? We have been promised 8,000+ jobs (18,000sqm of office space) in this area and others in Chetwynd Barracks. This proposal cannot be allowed to continue without the agreement of other developers that employment will be generated.
Where is the “Local Centre”?
The Tram extension to the proposed station will introduce yet another junction on Stapleford/Toton Lane. All the proposed junctions (Toton East, Toton West, the area north of Toton West and the NET extension) should be considered as a whole rather than individually.


Hi. As long term local resident I have concerns which are rarely considered by developers. I accept we need housing.
What provision is to be made for new improved utilities, particularly electricity, drainage and Sewerage to prevent overload of existing provision. Electric cars need charging – where is the infrastructure plan? Building on open land will cause flooding risk.
Please don’t do what developers always do and look at things from a single selfish perspective. The area deserves a development that is fully integrated with all others within say 2 miles.


Whilst I appreciate the need for more housing, many brown field sites are available and there are many issues with this plan that need to be addressed before this particular green belt site could be considered suitable for the suggested development.at any time in the future.
Aside from a promise of ‘provision for affordable housing’, there is no breakdown of the property types and the mix of these. This leads me to believe the bulk of the properties will be larger ‘executive’ houses, which people further down the property ladder will be unable to afford. In any development, I would expect there to be homes for households of all sizes at many different price points. 
There appear to be no proposals for amenities on the site. Residents will have to get to existing medical centres, pharmacies, shops, KS1 and KS2 schools, putting more pressure these already overstretched facilities and on surrounding roads. As there are is no further planned access across the A52 to Stapleford and Sandiacre, use of the facilities here will require more car travel on Stapleford Lane. This puts increasing pressure on Toton amenities if walking or cycling are the proposed means of transport.
There is only one entrance for vehicles to access the proposed site. Stapleford Lane is already incredibly congested at busy times, the access plans for this development will have an extremely negative impact on existing Toton residents trying access the A52 and the tram stop. It is difficult to see how these proposals will do anything to help achieve a zero carbon Broxtowe
There is an unsubstantiated claim on the website of a 10% increase in net biodiversity, it is nonsense to suggest this will be achieved by paving over much of the area, while landscaping and manicuring the rest. The hedgerows and fields are home to many birds and animals. We currently have many mammals such foxes, badgers and hedgehogs visiting the gardens from the fields, small birds nest in the hedgerows and the fields, were they forage for food is also home to pheasants and doves, with sparrow hawks and buzzards circling above.
The open fields currently absorb a lot of rainfall. Paving over this large area is likely to cause the water to flow faster into the Erewash and increase the risk of flooding in areas already prone to this in Stapleford and Sandiacre.
While there are stated intensions are to build these homes to a high standard, there are no assurances that homes will be zero carbon, only that “the homes will require minimal modifications to achieve zero carbon emissions”. These dwellings should be zero carbon initially rather than relying on homeowners to make these modifications. Solar panels and EV Charging points could be added as standard.
The plans on the TotonWest website have no details on what leisure facilities will be offered, aside from some open space. There needs to be something for young people to do in their leisure time such as playgrounds or a focus like a community centre,
These plans for Toton West, in their current form, will only have a negative impact on Toton, Chilwell and Attenborough. It offers nothing to existing residents other than increased congestion and more pressure on already stretched services, while also eliminating existing wildlife and taking away valuable land for food production.


A comprehensive and detailed response from one of our Forum members can be found here (thanks David for all your work) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K60EFgvOS4SP4kB78854ZzgwopK7mAcH/view?usp=share_link


The Steering Group submitted comments are here


My major concern at this point is the lack of connected green spaces with neighbouring areas – especially to/from the Barracks site on the other side of Stapleford Lane. The Chetwynd Neighbourhood Plan (which was adopted by the council in 2024) highlights a green corridor that runs along the southern boundary of the site (behind Cleve Avenue) and stretches across Stapleford Lane and links up with the Barracks at its northern boundary. This green corridor should be substantial (minimum 30 meters wide, ideally 50 meters) and should include both pedestrian and (separated) cycle paths. I would like to see this corridor included in the plans and – to incorporate the displaced housing – reduce the green space on the eastern.


It is difficult to comment upon such a sketchy plan but it seems that a lot of green space is being sacrificed, there are far too many houses on the plan being crammed into the space with very little facility for play space or trees, and no community amenities provided. 
I do not agree with the diversion of a public right of way, this should have been enhanced with green space either side, we need to bring the natural world into our lives. 
All trees and hedgerows should be protected. I find it difficult to believe that there will be any biodiversity gain with this plan. 
Where will the surface water drainage be diverted? We already have flooding in this area.
The River Erewash is becoming an open sewer even without further development in the area, it is time that this was addressed. All new developments should provide separate surface water and sewage drainage.


I am writing to share comments regarding a leaflet recently received regarding the initial proposals re Bloor Homes consultation at Toton West. I can see that the consultation is now closed on the website but am hoping this will still be accepted given that it is still Monday 17th March at the time of sending and this email address was made available to Chetwynd, Toton, and Chilwell neighbourhood forum. 
Though many local people do appreciate the need for new housing, myself and others are concerned about some proposed characteristics of the proposed site.
Firstly, it is extremely concerning that yet more Green space in the area will be sacrificed. The proposals regarding informal and formal Green spaces are not sufficiently detailed given that this space is currently full of wildlife, including hares, pheasants, small birds, foxes, and moles which many local residents are accustomed to seeing. Green spaces are already in short supply. From my experience of living in the area, the existing Toton sidings will not cope with everyday users of 400 potentially new households. People in Toton have traditionally bought homes in the area with the intent of feeling at the edge of things and bordering accessible green spaces. This characteristic will almost be certainly be lost by the proposals which are not sufficiently detailed at this stage. I foresee more residents therefore using Attenborough nature reserve which is already itself overly congested with both cars and visitors (not to mention that the junction at Chilwell Retail Park itself cannot cope with traffic demands). Additionally, the existing trees and hedgerows demarcated on the plans must be preserved and given space. Mature trees and hedgerows are vital to maintaining habitats and biodiversity. Please leave this alone. It is a privilege to have any green space locally in this day and age and it will be a tremendous shame to see this carelessly bulldozed. 
Secondly, any local knows that during rain the proposed area channels a tremendous amount of water northwards towards the Stapleford Treatment Plant (owing to the relief of the green space) and frequently becomes saturated. My primary concern is that if this becomes housing, even with well considered drainage, this site will encourage even more surface water southwards into the existing Toton boundaries. Given that The Manor Park and the junction at the bottom of the B6003 and the A6005 frequently floods, not to mention the Erewash itself, what additional disruption will an additional area of primarily concrete at the proposed site at the *top* of Toton hill? What consideration is there for those homeowners and families in this path? House insurers are increasingly refusing claims from houses in areas prone to flooding or refusing to insure at all. 
Thirdly, the current proposal to add one access road to the site entirely unrealistic. Locals know first hand that Stapleford Lane is the only accessible route to the A52 and to the M1 which is the spine of the country. Stapleford Lane cannot already cope with the volume of traffic from local schools, commuters and visitors. The addition of potentially 400-800 cars in either direction daily will cause absolute chaos and make the area unattractive to many people of working age. Additionally, there are no proposed provision for local amenities on the site that might otherwise help alleviate some of the need to travel by car to use local services e.g. doctors and schools which are already stretched. There appears to be no provision for any bus routes or additional public transport links aside from the tram which again may be unlikely to cope with potential demand. Whilst it is pleasing to see some consideration for cycling and walking, the location of the site again means that accessing any local services is not particularly easy by these modes, given the distance to shops in Chilwell itself as well as Long Eaton and Beeston, and the profile of the land itself on a hill which many would not reasonably tackle. The site at Toton East is more well placed for this. Actually, the combination of the two proposed Toton sites, East and West, will likely bring access to Chilwell and Long Eaton to a standstill through Stapleford Lane. This area is simply not designed with the volume of people already living and travelling here. Please do not suffocate us even further by packing more difficult to access homes into rare untouched green spaces. 
Lastly, the current proposals do not provide a sufficient overview of the nature and composition of the proposed homes, including their affordability, size, and consideration for green space, including gardens.
Thank you for proving the opportunity to provide feedback. Housing is and important national issue and I am aware of the current demands but ask that a balanced, informed, and responsible view is taken that really does respect local residents’ quality of life.


  • Potentially 800 – 1000 more vehicles on already fragile local infrastructure.
  • Estimated 800 – 1000 more individuals using local Doctor, Dentist, Healthcare services.
  • Over the last several years Toton has been plagued with ASB driving and behaviour, this has involved high speed driving/racing, burnouts etc, traffic calming measures need to be designed into the new streets/roads that will service this new development.
  • What has happened to the green corridor buffer between Darley Avenue/Edale Rise/Spinney Rise/Toton Lane & Selby Close residents.
  • What type of houses are proposed that will potentially overlook existing houses?
  • If existing residents are overlooked, will trees hedgerows be planted to shield this?
  • Local Schools are already overwhelmed.
  • The entrance/exit into the new development is already on a overwhelmed road.
  • Will all existing trees/hedgerows be left untouched?

Posted in Consultation, Toton Lane West | Comments Off on Comments on “Toton West” Consultation

Urgent – Bloor Homes Consultation on Toton West – 17th March 2025 closing date

Don’t forget to respond to this Consultation and let us know.

See what others have said

The following leaflet was dropped through one of our member’s front door. Bloor Homes are preparing an outline planning application to be made in “Spring 2025” and they are “keen to involve local people and welcome any views or suggestions to improve the development”.

This seems to form part of an overall plan by Bloor/Pegasus and the Steering Group has commented on Toton East and Toton NorthEast previously.

Posted in Consultation, Latest News, Neighbourhood Plan, Newsflash, Steering Group, Toton Lane West | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Plans for “Toton North East” to be submitted within a month

Following on from our post last month and previous posts about Toton North East, amongst the hype of this article and the remaining confusion regarding Chetwynd Barracks, is the following:

” … a key step will soon be taken to unblock the Chetwynd Barracks development. A neighbouring Toton site is set to house 700 homes and a country park and crucially, Councillor Radulovic says the formal planning application for that site by the end of the month will contain a “solution” to the problem of an access road.”

This, we assume, is the proposals for the area north of the tram. It will be interesting to see whether they have taken any notice of comments made when the requirement for the Environmental Impact Assessment was made.

We shall seek further clarification from Councillor Radulovic on this, and from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) on progress towards the disposal of Chetwynd Barracks.

As always please do feel free to ask any questions you may have on this week’s latest bulletin or anything else via the Contact Us page, and we’ll do our best to answer them via the Questions and Answers page.

Posted in Bardills, Chetwynd Barracks, Green Belt, Latest News, Toton Lane East | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Broxtowe Climate Change Forum – 13th March 2025

Do you want to take action against climate change and share information from a community perspective?

Plans are underway for a Climate Change Forum hosted by Broxtowe Borough Council taking place on Thursday 13 March, 9am to 1pm at The Walled Garden in Beeston.

Residents, schools, businesses and community groups are invited to attend this event which will comprise guest speakers, breakout sessions with climate change experts and networking opportunities. 

If you would like more information and a link to the event booking system, email environment@broxtowe.gov.uk 

The event can be booked through Eventbrite

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A Place in the East Midlands

This is a reminder about this week’s Beeston & District Civic Society Winter Talk entitled “A Place in the East Midlands” presented by Richard Grice at 7pm Wednesday 12th February at the Royal British Legion in Beeston (doors open at 6.45pm).

Where do we fit within the new East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA)/Mayoral Authority? Hopefully the speaker will enlighten us!

 Click on the image below for more information:-

Details of the last winter talk is available on the Forum Events page and via the BDCS website.    

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World Wetlands Day

As part of World Wetlands Day, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust are running some talks and a walk at Attenborough Nature Reserve on Sunday 2nd Feb. If you are at a loose end this Sunday, then why not pop along to find out more. Further details below and via the QR code, or via their website here.

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Activities North of the Tram (January 2025)

You may remember that back in September the Forum had discussions with the Leader of Broxtowe Council amongst which was his “robust challenge” to developers to create a link road from the A52 to the proposed development on Chetwynd Barracks.

This was followed by an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Report and the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan Consultation. The Forum has had no further information regarding this area but two things have happened recently.

Firstly some of us have had a leaflet from the Liberal Democrats asking for people to sign up to a petition to “Save Our Green Belt“. The Area involved was not included in the Neighbourhood Plan as the area was not included for development in either the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan or the Local Plan as published at the time. “Greenbelt” is a planning term and one of the uses of greenbelt land is to maintain separation between villages/towns (in this case Toton, Bramcote, Stapleford and Chilwell). The term has nothing to do with the “nature value” of the land, in fact possibly one of the most bio-diverse areas within the Neighbourhood Area is the land to the west of Chetwynd Barracks which is brownfield.

The Forum recognise the need for access any Chetwynd Barracks development as a way of relieving the pressure on Stapleford Lane and, as part of our response to the GNSP, have asked for a detailed traffic study to assess different options for this access.

Secondly one of our members noticed a quad bike performing a geophysical survey on some of the land. On questioning, it was said to be regarding the “Country Park” included in the EIA Scoping Report.

If you have any further information, please let us know through our Contact Us page

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Discussion on the future of local government & other things

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/news-opinion/inside-meeting-decide-nottinghamshires-future-9873951

The BBC have this view:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1lvnd9n60no

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