Posted on November 9th, 2022.

A new 'village' for the elderly could be built right next to Nottingham City Airport. A plan has been put forward to build an 80-bed care home, 20 two-bedroom assisted living apartments, and eight two-bedroom assisted living bungalows for the over 55s next to the in Tollerton.

The site fronts Tollerton Lane to the west and is bounded by a recently-constructed spur road which serves the airport and the £60 million Spire Hospital. There would also be associated parking for cycles, cars and emergency vehicles.

The development site is a partially vacant brownfield site and has been the subject of demolition programmes to remove dilapidated airfield buildings including a large wartime hangar and various other structures. The site lies within the landscape setting of 17 designated heritage assets, all of which are Grade II listed pill boxes from the Second World War.

The large residential care home would be on the south of the site to screen the industrial warehouse building from the rest of the development, according to planning documents. The assisted living apartments and bungalows would be located front onto Tollerton Lane and the spine road, with their size and shape designed to create a focal point at the heart of the site.

This will be a mixture of shared and private garden spaces. The on-site resident’s communal facilities would be positioned overlooking the gardens.

The retirement village plans would take up a part of an area allocated for development by Rushcliffe Borough Council. A planning application has been submitted on behalf of Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd and Rockspring Barwood Gamston Ltd on another part of the allocated site for 2,250 houses, a primary school, and a local centre.

Nottinghamshire County Council said they had "no objection to the proposals" as the Lead Local Flood Authority. They added the developer would have to provide a surface water management plan and evidence to demonstrate the viability of any receiving watercourse.

In the outline application for the site, the matters of appearance and landscaping have been reserved for future consideration. In a planning document, Zenith Planning and Design on behalf of retirement home developers Wynbrook Ltd, said: "If the site is to be developed ahead of the rest of the allocated site, then the most appropriate form of development is one which does not rely on the existence of local facilities such as primaryschools.

"The proposed care home would not only fit into this category but would also complement the hospital use of the adjoining site by providing beds for patients who ned to convalesce before returning home. The assisted living homes would fall into the same category of a development which could exist without facilities close by.

"Whilst the site is not within an existing settlement, the villages of Tollerton and Gamston are only half a mile and three quarters of a mile away respectively. There is an hourly bus service run by CT4N (Service 33) which serves the Spire Hospital and connects Tollerton with Cotgrave, Morrisons at Gamston, West Bridgford Central Avenue and Nottingham. There is a small convenience store and post office in Tollerton and a medical centre and local shopping centre in Gamston.

"Furthermore, in the medium to long term the surrounding land will become a major housing development with its own neighbourhood centre. Therefore the site is an appropriate location for the proposed development." The planning application is pending consideration by Rushcliffe Borough Council. There are also wider plans for 4,000 new homes as part of the proposed Gamston Fields neighbourhood, located off Tollerton Lane and the A52.

Text and image source: Nottingham Post.