PROFILE Radcliffe on Trent 1 Introduction What’s this profile all about? Rushcliffe Borough is well known for its attractive towns and villages, rich farmland and rolling countryside. It is perceived to be an affluent area and one in which people want to live and work. Despite the 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 Rushcliffe in greater detail, however, it is clear that each is very different, with diverse communities, different pressures, needs and ambitions for their local area. The production of this Parish Profile is designed to provide a picture of what has happened within a village or town during recent years and to identify what may happen in the future. The profile has 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 in relation to your village, and will provide a starting point to have discussions on future development in your village. The profile pulls together many sources of information, including statistics from the village showing what has happened in recent years and what may happen in the future if trends continue. 2 The leaflet also provides a brief summary of what people have told us about Ruddington in response to previous consultations carried out by the Council regarding development in the Borough. This information is grouped into topics including age, the environment, employment, education and the local economy. Obviously, what some people have said may not necessarily be supported by everyone. Localism – what does this mean for future planning within the Borough? The Borough Council is required to develop sound long-term plans for the future development of Rushcliffe. These plans still have to be supported by sound factual evidence, however, we now have more scope to develop plans that are truly local to the needs of Rushcliffe. Local communities will also have a chance to develop their own community-led plan should they wish to do so once Rushcliffe’s development plan is in place. It is, therefore, important that Rushcliffe’s plans for the development of the Borough broadly reflect each community’s needs and wishes. 3 Radcliffe on Trent as a place General Radcliffe on Trent is a large village located 5 miles to the east of West Bridgford. The village largely serves as a dormitory settlement for Nottingham. The village has grown steadily along the main roads since the 19th century, however major growth predominantly occurred within the 1950s and 1960s when housing estates were built. The historic centre of the village is to the west of the existing shopping area and is centred around the Parish church. Radcliffe is a service centre for some of the surrounding settlements, providing schooling, local shops, health facilities and recreational activities. Its role as a main village is affected by its proximity to both Nottingham and to a lesser extent Bingham. The majority of Upper Saxondale is within the Parish of Radcliffe, and has its own separate identity. Upper Saxondale was developed on the site of the former hospital in the mid to late 1990s. Facilities and Economy Radcliffe on Trent has a number of well supported local facilities, including an active village hall, several play areas, outdoor sports facilities and allotments. There is also a health centre within the village, although this may have capacity issues. There is also a small shopping centre which contains two small 4 supermarkets. The secondary school has significant spare capacity, however the primary schools do not have capacity at present to accommodate further pupils. Radcliffe on Trent does not have the level of employment opportunities you would normally expect in a village of its size. A significant proportion of the working population commutes to Nottingham. What You Told Us There is the need for a more comprehensive building for medical services. The current Health Centre has a one month waiting list. A radical rethink of car parking facilities would be needed if population is to increase. People in Radcliffe on Trent don’t want to work locally but will use the facilities The junior schools are too small for housing growth. Road connections Radcliffe on Trent lies on the A52 trunk road, which is a major commuter route. The road suffers from 5 congestion during daylight hours, in particular along the single carriageway section. There have long been ambitions to upgrade the A52 and provide a by pass around Radcliffe. Whilst a number of studies have been undertaken, there have been no firm proposals drawn up to upgrade the route and no prospects of funding in the short to medium term. Public Transport Radcliffe on Trent is served by a frequent bus service to Nottingham and Bingham. There are a number of infrequent services that run to Newark, Upper Saxondale and East Bridgford. Radcliffe on Trent also has a railway station, although the frequency of service is poor. 6 What You Told Us Concerns have been raised in relation to the capacity of the road network. A radical rethinking of car parking in the centre of Radcliffe would be required if there was to be any further development. Environment There are a number of environmental designations within the surrounding countryside. The area to the east of the village is within an area of flood risk. There are no conservation areas within the village itself, however the area around the former Saxondale Hospital (now Upper Saxondale) is a conservation area. The agricultural land that surrounds Radcliffe is predominantly Grade 3 with some areas of Grade 2 land around the East of the village. Radcliffe on Trent is one of only two places in Rushcliffe that has a formal park open to the public. 7 What You Told Us Should not build on the allotments. The allotments are all full with waiting lists, however there are no plans at present by the Parish Council to supply further allotment sites. Radcliffe on Trent is an area of flood risk Concern over the impact of wind turbines. How can open space and trees be protected? Your population Between 1991 and 2005 the population of Radcliffe on Trent grew by 9%. The Borough increased by a similar 1 percentage over the same period. 1 Sources: 1991, 2005 Censuses, 2005 parish population estimates (ONS) 8 9 Radcliffe on Trent: Age Profile (2009) 40 35 30 Radcliffe Wards 25 20 Rushcliffe 15 10 England 5 0 0-15 16-24 25-49 50- Pensionable Percentage of population Percentage pensionable age age Age group Radcliffe has a significantly higher proportion of older people than the Borough and national averages. 28% of people living in the Manvers and Trent wards are of pensionable age. This compares to a national average of 19% and the Borough average of 21%. The Radcliffe wards also have a smaller proportion of younger people and people of working age compared to national and borough averages. Housing House Prices and Incomes There is a significant disparity in terms of house prices between the two wards that cover Radcliffe on Trent. The average house price in the Trent ward at the end of February 2009 was £155,732, significantly lower than the Borough average of £208,074. Conversely the 10 average for the Manvers ward was significantly higher at £247,813.2 There are also disparities between the two wards in terms of income. The mean household income for Trent is £34,791 whereas the mean average household income for Manvers is £35,841. An average priced house in the Trent ward would therefore cost around 4.5 times the average household income, with an average priced house in Manvers costing almost 7 times the average household income.3 Trent ward has a similar level of owner occupation compared to the Rushcliffe average (around 79%), whereas Manvers has a higher level of owner occupation (89%). There is a virtually non-existent stock of properties such as shared ownership in both wards, reducing the opportunity for people on a modest wage to get onto the housing ladder. 10 percent of properties offered in the Trent ward are available through private rent, whereas the percentage for Manvers ward is half of this level. Recent Development Within the parish, both the population and the number of properties have increased over recent years. Larger residential developments have included: 2 source: Land Registry, 2009 3 source: Paycheck data, 2009 11 • the area behind Grange Hall in the centre of the village, • the area to the east of the village around the site of the former West’s Nurseries; and • the former Saxondale Hospital. The rate of development has levelled out over approximately the last five years as the larger sites have been built out. Population growth has occurred at a slower rate than housing growth in terms of percentage change. This is reflective of the fact that there has been a decline in the average number of people living in a house. Radcliffe on Trent: Percentage population change and additional dwellings, 2001-2009 7 6 5 4 Radcliffe population 3 Radcliff e new dw ellings 2 Percentage change 1 0 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2001- 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Year There have been 256 new dwellings completed within the parish of Radcliffe on Trent between 2001 and 2010. Of these, 239 were general market dwellings and 17 were affordable dwellings. The graph below shows 12 the types of houses that have been built in Radcliffe on Trent and Upper Saxondale over the last few years.