MISK HILLS IS NOT FOR SALE AND THIS FIGHT IS FAR FROM OVER

A Government Planning Inspector has just overruled Ashfield District Council and nearly 8,000 Hucknall residents to approve 100 homes on Misk Hills. Three council refusals. Unanimous councillor opposition. Thousands of objections from the people who actually live here. All of it, ignored.

This isn't just a planning decision. It's a democratic failure.

Why Misk Hills cannot be replaced:

Misk Hills is protected Green Belt — not an abandoned car park or disused industrial site, but living, breathing land. It shelters skylarks, deer, and hares. It acts as a natural flood buffer for our town. For generations, it has been a place for walking, reflection, and community. Once it's gone, it's gone forever.

What the Inspector chose to ignore:

Three separate council refusals

Unanimous opposition from elected councillors

Thousands of resident objections

Clear environmental warnings that the rural character of this land would be lost permanently

The promises don't stack up:

The developer's contributions toward GP services and school places fall well short of what's needed and both are already at breaking point. Our schools are over capacity. Our GP surgeries are stretched to their limits. Adding 100 homes without genuine infrastructure investment doesn't build a community. It strains one.

And the headline "affordable housing" figure? Just 25% — below the targets that exist to make housing actually accessible to local people.

The precedent is the real danger

This decision doesn't just affect Misk Hills. It opens the door. Every piece of Green Belt in Hucknall becomes more vulnerable the moment developers see that "protected" can be overturned on appeal. We cannot let this become the template.

Where I stand:

I stand with Hucknall residents fully and without hesitation. Alongside my fellow Hucknall Councillors, I will continue to oppose any development that puts profit before people, and growth before the health, environment, and democratic voice of this community.

What we do next:

Fight for a Local Plan that gives Misk Hills permanent, meaningful protection

Push for Country Park status to secure its future

Resist further Green Belt threats, including Whyburn Farm

Keep the pressure on because community voices matter, even when they've been ignored

Hucknall's green spaces are not assets to be traded. They are irreplaceable parts of who we are. This decision was a blow  but it is not the end.

The fight for Misk Hills continues.

Cllr Christopher Adegoke