Villagers fear another 3,000 homes will just add to traffic 'mayhem'

THREE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS ARE IN THE PIPELINE FOR TOTON

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

DEVELOPERS have pledged to reduce the number of new car journeys going through a Nottinghamshire village as residents say an extra 3,000 houses could add to traffic “mayhem”.

Three major planning applications are currently being considered that would initially expand the Broxtowe village of Toton by 1,455 homes.

Discussions also remain ongoing about releasing land currently occupied by an Army barracks for the building of 1,300 houses. Such expansions always bring a degree of concern for residents already living in an area, but it is rarer to find people so unanimous on what they see as the main problem.

“I’m not opposed to housing at all, but if you're trying to get out on to the main road here at 8.30am in a morning, it can already be mayhem”, says Lynne Baxter, 72, who moved to Toton around 12 years ago. Mrs Baxter is one of several long-term Toton residents living on Katherine Drive, a road primarily made up of bungalows.

The street is the first one off Stapleford Lane on the side of the main road which will house the highest number of properties. Another one of its residents is Dr Mel Kinsey, 83, a retired GP who worked in Toton for 24 years and has lived in the area since 1970.

He said: “I'm not going to see much of the development from where we are, so it won't affect us in that way, but getting on to the main road now is extremely difficult at certain times. I’m retired, so we don’t have to go out early in the morning, but for those that do it must be hell.”

The biggest planned development is Bloor Homes’ proposal for an 880-home development on 60 acres by NET’s Toton Lane Park and Ride site. An outlining planning application was submitted on April 16 and marks the first phase of the formal planning process.