£15m 'sports village' plans are set to be turned down

NOTTS County Council is set to object to plans for a new "sports village" in Nuthall.

Plans have been put forward for a development including tennis courts, a 1.2km cycle track and football pitches on a 22.1 hectare site close to the M1.

The company behind the plans – Oxylane Group – said the sports village would be the first of its kind in the country.

However, the county council's environment and sustainability committee is set to meet tomorrow to discuss the plans, and looks set to recommend they are refused.

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In a report that will go before the committee, the council said it considers the plans to be "inappropriate development within the green belt" and is also concerned about the impact on the landscape and visual impact on the area.

Margaret Freeman, of Eastwood Road, Kimberley, said the plans could be good for the area.

She said: "I think we need more places for people to do sport. But there are a lot more things we don't know yet which are a concern to people living around here, such as traffic and building on the green belt.

"For me, the traffic is the biggest issue – the A610 is really busy at peak times and if the village is successful, more people will be using the roads and it has the potential to cause gridlocks."

The planners have said cars would use a new junction on the A610 to access the sports village.

There are currently ten Oxylane Villages in France, including Lyon, Bordeaux and Rennes, each of which welcomes up to 1.5 million visitors a year.

The sites host a number of activities, including training days for people who want to get involved in new sports, as well as roller discos and boxing tournaments.

Speaking when the plans were announced, Luke Fillingham, UK director of Oxylane Villages said: "Oxylane Village Broxtowe will provide a new social venue for the local community, for people of all ages and abilities.

"It will enable them to access a huge range of activities and expertise by providing a place to get together, be active and hold their own events with the support of an experienced team.

"The purpose is to help more people enjoy an active lifestyle, with free facilities at the core of the site including play areas, a park, multi-use games area, tennis and netball courts, showers and changing areas.

"The village involves £15 million of capital investment by Oxylane, producing over 250 jobs and will be the first village of its kind in the UK."