24 1 household could ultimately lead to population decline Introduction across the Borough. What’s this profile all about? Future declines in ’s population, particularly declines in those of working age, could also adversely Rushcliffe Borough is well known for its attractive affect the wider economy of given the towns and villages, rich farmland and rolling extent to which , and Rushcliffe more countryside. It is perceived to be an affluent area and widely, act as a residential area for people working in one in which people want to live and work. Despite the Nottingham. economic downturn, these pressures for growth in Rushcliffe will continue both in the short and longer term.

Looking at the towns and villages which make up This leaflet is also to download from our website Rushcliffe in greater detail, however, it is clear that at www.rushcliffe.gov.uk/planningpolicy each is very different, with diverse communities, different pressures, needs and ambitions for their local area. Individual parish profiles have been prepared for several of our larger settlements. These profiles describe recent demographic trends and take a specific look at housing issues.

The production of the Borough Profile is designed to provide a picture of what has happened to the Borough over recent years and what may happen in the future if current trends continue.

The profiles have been put together in order to provide support for the Borough Council’s Fresh Approach campaign. It is hoped that the profiles will bring out some of the key issues affecting the Borough, and will provide a starting point to have discussions on future development.

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The leaflet also provides a brief summary of what Summary of main issues people have told us about various issues in response to previous consultations carried out by the Council Overall, the population of the Borough has grown at a regarding potential development in the Borough. This slower rate than the number of new houses being built information is grouped into topics including age, the reflecting the trend towards smaller average environment, employment, education and the local household size. In some parts of the Borough, a lack economy. Obviously, what some people have said of housing development has actually contributed to a may not necessarily be supported by everyone. fall in population over recent years.

Localism. What does this mean for future In West Bridgford and Gamston the rate of housing planning within the Borough? and population growth has been very similar over the past decade. Whether the population will continue to The Borough Council is required to develop long-term grow, rather than stagnating or going into decline, plans for the future development of Rushcliffe. These without further housing growth is doubtful given the plans still have to be supported by sound factual underlying local and national trend towards smaller evidence; however we now have more scope to average household size. develop plans that are truly local to the needs of Rushcliffe. In terms of the profile of the local population, the Borough’s population is aging at a faster rate than the Local communities will also have a chance to develop national average, with the levels of residents in older their own community-led plan should they wish to do age groups higher than the national picture. so once Rushcliffe’s development plan is in place. It is, therefore important that Rushcliffe’s plans for the Opportunities for brownfield development within towns development of the Borough broadly reflect each and villages in Rushcliffe have significantly reduced community’s needs and wishes. over recent years. There is some scope for housing development in the short term across the Borough, but little scope in the medium to long term without looking at providing some development outside towns and villages.

Without some housing development taking place outside existing settlements then expected further declines in the average number of people in each

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Rushcliffe as a place Proposed area for Clifton SUE is an important landscape and should be protected. General

Rushcliffe’s main centre of population is West If the Clifton SUE went ahead there would be traffic Bridgford, a large suburb of Greater Nottingham where implications on existing villages e.g. Gotham. around 41,000 of the Borough’s 109,800 population live. The remainder of the Borough is largely rural, with the population divided between the six larger The A453 would not be able to cope with any settlements (Bingham, Radcliffe on Trent, Cotgrave, additional development without being dualled. Keyworth, Ruddington and East Leake, which range in Proposed tram extension has not been confirmed. population from 6,200 to 9,400 people) and the smaller rural villages. A large part of the Borough New football stadium and large scale housing (42%) falls within the defined Nottingham-Derby development completely inappropriate for Gamston. Green Belt that encircles Nottingham and its suburbs. It is Green Belt land and is unsustainable from an accessibility perspective. Existing roads cannot cope Facilities and Economy with such a large development. West Bridgford is the largest settlement in Rushcliffe. It acts as a key service centre for a number of the surrounding smaller settlements. It has a vibrant shopping area with a number of popular cafes and restaurants.

Outside of West Bridgford, the six towns and larger villages provide a range of facilities and services. Several of the medium sized villages such as East Bridgford, Gotham, Tollerton, Aslockton, Sutton Bonington and Cropwell Bishop have some local facilities to serve their population. Villages of a smaller size often only have very limited facilities and services.

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There are a lot more workers in the Borough than there are jobs. The wealth of the working population We must avoid at all costs the problem of building so within Rushcliffe is therefore dependant on the ability many homes in a settlement which causes the area to access jobs outside of the Borough. Given which, it to merge with the neighbouring settlements. This will is important that these areas continue to thrive in order result in losing the identities of these settlements. to support the Borough’s existing population.

To a large extent Rushcliffe acts as a residential area Green Belt needs to be protected. for people working in Nottingham, and to a lesser extent to other towns and cities outside the Borough Large Sustainable Urban Extensions (SUEs) are (Loughborough, Newark and Leicester). A third of inappropriate for the Borough (both South of Clifton West Bridgford residents work in the city. Significant and East of Gamston). local employers in the Borough include County Council, British Gypsum, E- Green Belt needs to be protected from large scale on, Experian and the British Geological Survey. incursions.

Developing housing on or around the airport would What You Told Us be devastating for the local community and infrastructure

Cotgrave is an underperforming town centre and in Tollerton would lose its character as a village if the need of enhancement. Gamston SUE went ahead. Infrastrucutre would not be able to cope. Local community facilities need to be upgraded alongside any new development. A52 would have to have substantial improvements if the Gamston SUE went ahead. West Bridgford is a thriving, dynamic and popular centre. Tollerton Airfield should revert to its former agricultural state if the airport was to relocate.

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As Rushcliffe is a desirable place to live it is almost More employment should be provided in the Borough inevitable that there will be continued pressure to have to reduce commuter traffic and pollution and make some development around some of our smaller the Borough more sustainable. villages. There may be instances where development is needed to support certain facilities (e.g. local primary schools) or where a particular type of housing Transportation need has been identified (e.g. housing for elderly people or rural exception development). Road connections

Developers and landowners have put forward sites for A number of important trunk roads pass through the consideration for residential development through the Borough. The A46 links Rushcliffe to Newark in the Borough Council’s Strategic Housing Land Availability north and Leicester in the south and the A52 links to Assessment (SHLAA). This is available on the Grantham to the east. The A453 is a major route Borough Council’s website. The SHLAA assesses linking Nottingham and Rushcliffe to these sites potential suitability for residential Airport and the M1. The A46 is currently being development. widened with work scheduled to be complete by 2012. There are capacity issues with both the A52 and A453, with the widening of the A453 in particular seen by many as vital for the future economic growth of the city and for Rushcliffe. The planned widening of the What You Told Us A453 has been deferred as part of the Government’s wider spending review, with potential construction to Empty properties should be considered before be identified in future spending review periods. building new housing. The NET tram extension to Clifton is proposed to pass through the Borough between Wilford and Compton A distribution strategy is supported that directs Acres, with the aim of improving accessibility to the growth appropriate to the capacity and character of City Centre. an individual settlement to accommodate it. The rural parts of the Borough suffer more acutely from accessibility issues due to poorer transport links Brownfield sites should be developed before in these more isolated areas. greenfield sites are considered.

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Public Transport 200 homes. There is also outline planning permission that was granted on appeal on the edge of West West Bridgford and the six larger settlements are Bridgford for 1,200 new homes. served most frequently by public transport. The most notable corridors are: Planning permission has also been granted for 215 apartments on the corner of Bridgford Road and  Nottingham-Radcliffe-Bingham Loughborough Road. However, it is unlikely that these  Nottingham-Ruddington will be built in the next few years due to current market  Nottingham-Cotgrave conditions.  Nottingham-Tollerton-Keyworth There are few other opportunities for future The Nottingham-Gotham-East Leake corridor is development on a large scale within West Bridgford served by a less frequent bus service. There are itself that are not subject to significant constraints. railway stations that serve the communities of There are some small scale opportunities that lie Radcliffe on Trent, Bingham and Aslockton, however within the Lings Bar Road but still fall within the Green services are relatively sporadic at present. Belt. The area to the east of Lady Bay has been promoted for development, but this area is subject to Areas in the south and west of Rushcliffe are amongst significant flood risk constraints and also lies within the the most isolated in Greater Nottingham in terms of Green Belt. public transport (Greater Nottingham Accessibility Strategy, 2006). Whilst it is not adjacent to West Bridgford, development is being promoted on the Nottingham Airport site. This proposal is at a significantly smaller scale than what was originally proposed for the Gamston area. Development of this site would effectively lead to the formation of a new village. Again the land lies within the Green Belt.

The opportunities for development in the settlements of Bingham, Cotgrave, East Leake, Keyworth, Radcliffe on Trent, Ruddington and are described in separate profiles.

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Potential opportunities for future development

The draft proposals for large scale housing developments at Clifton and Gamston, identified to meet the previous Government’s regional housing targets, proved to be hugely unpopular amongst local residents. This was especially the case for residents of Gamston and the villages in the immediate vicinity of Gamston and Clifton.

With the proposed abolition of regional housing targets for Rushcliffe and the linked policy requirement to focus most development in and around West Bridgford and Clifton, the Council now has more say as to what amount of development is appropriate in a particular location. This is why we are currently approaching communities in Rushcliffe to seek views in relation to development in and around their towns and villages.

It has to be recognised that the areas around West What You Told Us Bridgford and Clifton are the most accessible locations in the Borough for both jobs and facilities, and there will be continuing pressure to provide for new Need to improve cycle routes in Rushcliffe. development in this location. However, we need to balance these pressures with the impact that development would potentially have on the Green Belt and on the countryside, on infrastructure, and on the A453 urgently needs upgrading. local communities. Public transport is a very important issue and will There are some opportunities for development which become more so in future. It is important for the already have planning permission for development in Local Authority to liaise with bus companies. the short to medium term. Within West Bridgford there is an area of land to the south of Wilford Lane that is currently subject to a planning application for

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largest amount of development over this period, with Existing rail routes should be invested in to improve over 3,000 new homes built, around half of which were service frequency. built at Gamston, which was completed around 2000. The vast majority of the Compton Acres area was completed over 20 years ago, before 1991. Environment Development within West Bridgford and Gamston has The majority of the Rushcliffe landscape is rural in slowed down since the turn of the new century, as nature and generally comprises rolling lowland opportunities for infill development on suitable farmland. There is a variation in character provided brownfield sites have started to become less available. through the higher land of the Nottinghamshire Wolds, Nonetheless, there have been a couple of larger including a ridge stretching from the Wolds towards brownfield sites that have been developed at the the Trent Valley in the West of the Borough, the edges former Ludlow Hill Brickworks and on the former of the and parts of the Trent Valley. piggeries site in Gamston. There are pockets of natural and planted woodland. Rushcliffe also has a number of areas that are There have been over 2,700 new homes built in and recognised as being important for flora and fauna. around our 6 largest towns and villages since 1991, over 1,000 of which were built at Bingham, predominantly between the existing town and the by- pass. Keyworth has had the least amount of What You Told Us development in the last few years. The remaining development has occurred across the more rural areas of the Borough, with approaching 300 homes Floodplain should not be built on. being created in the grounds of the former Saxondale hospital.

The most significant recent employment development Open space needs protecting for the benefit of has occurred at Ruddington Fields Business Park. people and wildlife. There has been a number of employment generating developments across the Borough, mainly through the expansion of existing firms.

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Housing need Areas of landscape importance need to be The predominant tenure in Rushcliffe is owner- preserved. occupation. Nearly 80% of households own their own homes, either outright or with a mortgage. This is significantly above the national average for owner occupation of 68%. The 2009 Strategic Housing Your Population Market Needs Assessment estimates that 43% of all households in Rushcliffe are unable to afford the entry The population of Rushcliffe increased by 14% level owner occupation price of £139, 995. between 1991 and 20091. This growth has not occurred evenly across the Borough. Whilst some settlements have seen increases in population, others have seen stagnation or declines. This is illustrated on What You Told Us the map on page 11 for the period 1991-2005.

There is a real lack of affordable housing in rural Population growth in West Bridgford and the six larger 2 areas. settlements in Rushcliffe (1991-2005) :

Affordable housing needed in rural areas to allow Bingham +28% younger people to stay in the village. West Bridgford +15% East Leake +12% Affordable housing needs to be truly affordable. Radcliffe on Trent +9% Cotgrave 0% Ruddington3 0% Keyworth -8%

Recent development in Rushcliffe 1 Source: Censuses 1991, 2001 and population estimates 2009 (ONS) There have been over 7,500 new homes built within 2 These statistics are based on Parish data compiled by Rushcliffe since 1991. Most of the significant Nottinghamshire County Council 2005. Only Ward level data is available after this date. development within Rushcliffe over the last 20 or so 3 years has been focused in or around the larger towns Ruddington Parish and Ward are broadly the same area. There has been a marked increase in population in Ruddington Ward and villages. West Bridgford and Gamston saw the since 2006

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Population growth in the ‘second tier’ of settlements West Bridgford and Gamston (1991-2005):

WestWest BridgfordBridgford and Gamston: and Gamston: Percentage population Percentage change and population additional dwellings (2001-2009) Sutton Bonington +22% change and additional dwellings (2001-2009) Aslockton/Whatton +18% 7

East Bridgford +6% 6 Gotham -1% Tollerton -4% 5 4 Cropwell Bishop -4% Population New dwellings 3

Other parishes that have seen declines in population Population change 2 include; Shelford and Newton (-44%) Stanton on the Wolds (-16%), Hickling (-14%) and Normanton on 1

Soar (-3%). 0 2001-2002 2001-2003 2001-2004 2001-2005 2001-2006 2001-2007 2001-2008 2001-2009 Year

The percentage population increase for West Bridgford and Gamston for 2001-2009 was the same as the percentage increase of dwelling stock over the same period (approximately 6%). This contrasts with the general trend in the other major settlements in Rushcliffe where population increase has been at a slower rate than the increase in new dwellings.

The population of West Bridgford and Gamston has increased at a steady rate whilst the percentage of new dwellings provided increased more sharply over the first five years and has flattened out over the last few years.

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There should a greater distribution of housing to smaller settlements in Rushcliffe to give residents a greater opportunity to remain in their neighbourhood

Recent Development

Rushcliffe (including West Bridgford and Gamston)

Rushcliffe:

Percentage population change and additional dwellings, 2001-

2009 Rushcliffe: Percentage population change and additional dwellings, 2001-2009

7

6

5

4 Rushcliffe population Rushcliffe new dwellings 3

Percentage change 2

1

0 2001-2002 2001-2003 2001-2004 2001-2005 2001-2006 2001-2007 2001-2008 2001-2009 Year

Between 2001-2009 the percentage population increase for the Borough and the percentage increase in dwelling stock has been approximately equal. Both increases have also occurred at approximately the same rate (although there was a spike in the increase in dwellings between 2006-2007).

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Age profile Housing Age profile:Age profile: Rushcliffe Rushcliffe

40 House Prices and Incomes 35 30 25 Rushcliffe Property prices in the Borough are relatively high, with 20 15 an average house price of £233,100 compared with 4 Percentage 10 the Nottinghamshire average of £163,200 . Housing 5 0 affordability is a significant issue within the Borough, All Persons; All Persons; All Persons; All Persons; All Persons; with average house prices around eight times average Aged 0-15 Aged 16-24 Aged 25-49 Aged 50-64 Aged 65 and (Males), 50-59 Over (Males), incomes. The problem of affordability can be (Females) 60 and Over (Females) particularly significant in the rural parts of the Borough Age group where house prices tend to be higher.

Rushcliffe’s age profile is broadly similar to the national age profile, although the Borough does have a higher percentage of people over the age of 50. The What You Told Us number of people of pensionable age is also increasing at a faster rate than the national trend and Many villages have too much ‘executive’ type there are certain settlements, as shown overleaf, that housing, prohibitive in price to local residents and have very high concentrations of people of give a false picture of what a rural community should pensionable age. be % of population of pensionable age % of population of pensionable age The outward migration caused by a lack of housing is having a profound effect on the viability of local 21 20.5 facilities 20 New houses must be a positive addition to 19.5 Rushcliffe Rushcliffe, of a good quality and well designed 19 England aesthetically and ecologically. 18.5 18 17.5 17

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 4 Source: Land Registry, October-December 2010