Pit site homes approved despite concerns about stretched NHS services

THORESBY VALE DEVELOPMENT WILL HAVE NEARLY 1,000 HOMES

- By JOE LOCKER Local Democracy Reporter

THE development of up to 190 homes on the site of a former colliery in Nottinghamshire has been approved, despite concerns that local NHS services are at capacity.

Eight hundred homes are currently in the pipeline for the former Thoresby Colliery site, after it closed in 2015. It was the last operational mine in the Nottinghamshire coalfield.

Developer Harworth said careful planning opened up the possibility of building an additional 190 homes to the north of the site, and these plans were given unanimous approval by Newark and Sherwood District Council at a planning meeting on Thursday.

Despite approving the scheme, some councillors said commissioning groups for local NHS services should be brought round the table to discuss capacity problems.

Councillor Sue Saddington (Con), who represents the Muskham ward, said: “All the practices in the area are working at capacity. That to me means they are busy. And to make the scheme acceptable, the infrastructure would need to be developed to accommodate the increased population.