A Hucknall councillor has called for the Conservative Party Chief Whip, Mark Spencer, to stand up for his constituents and halt the plans to build 3000 houses on Whyburn Farm.
Nottinghamshire County Councillor for Hucknall South, Lee Waters, has called for Spencer to ‘say no’ to Boris Johnson and put his constituents first.
This comes as a petition against Ashfield District Council’s plans to build on the farm was accepted by the cabinet – after it raised more than 7,000 signatures by the time it was submitted in November.
Cllr Waters said: “I say we need Mark Spencer, our Chief Whip, and the second most powerful man in the country to say no [to Boris Johnson] and to keep the pressure on them.
“I’ve written to him to say that the allocation for housing is far too high, we don’t believe in the methodology for calculation based on what Boris Johnson and Michael Gove have said.
“Hucknall is already over-developed as it is with more and more houses, when there are bigger issues.
“It is virtually impossible to get a doctor’s appointment, and it would take 450 new secondary school pupils just to accommodate the houses that would be coming in.”
These views are shared by many in the local community, with Yvonne Raynor, a member of the Hucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development group claiming that they need to prioritise improvements in infrastructure.
Mrs Raynor said: “There are too many houses being built already, no infrastructure is in place, and there are not enough doctors and schools now.”
Despite this, plans now go to the government for review. However, some members of the local community believe this will be of little use.
Local chef, Stephen Griffin, 43, claims that the council think they have a “God-given right” to do whatever they want.
He said: “Councils seem to think they have a God-given right to build wherever they please without the consent of the residents – especially in the case of Whyburn.
“While I understand the need for housing, I simply cannot get my head around why such green belt land needs to be used.”
CBJ Target has approached Mark Spencer for a comment but there had been no response at the time of publication.
