FEARS over clogged roads and a lack of low cost housing failed to stop plans for 13,500 new homes in Rushcliffe to be voted through.
The borough – recently voted the eighth best place in the country to live – has approved its Local Plan to build the homes by 2028.
A full council meeting on December 22 at a packed council chamber in Pavilion Road saw 32 councillors vote in favour of the plans, which have taken eight years to develop, while three rejected the proposals and one abstained.
"Once these properties are built the A52 will be a car park during the day," said Musters representative Rod Jones, who voted against proposals. "Adding more junctions to the A52 will not solve the problems that this many more houses will bring."
Councillor Alistair MacInnes, said more needed to be done to ensure young people are not priced out of the housing market.
"The average house in Rushcliffe costs £235,000," he said. "Which is eight times more than average earnings. I am disappointed the inspector did not take the opportunity to make a larger proportion of the properties affordable."
Rushcliffe is tasked by the Government with finding space for 13,500 homes by 2028. It's plan includes 450 homes at the former Cotgrave Colliery and 500 at the former RAF Newton site.
It's "strategic sites" also include 3,000 homes on land south of Clifton, a further 1,500 on land near Melton Road in Edwalton and 2,500 homes east of Gamston.
The authority produced its own plan, separate to the 30,550-home Aligned Core Strategy by its neighbouring authorities of Nottingham city, Broxtowe and Gedling.
It has the backing of Government planning inspector Jill Kingaby.
A number of councillors said voting for the plans was difficult as it will see the end of much-loved green space.
But they felt that not submitting the Local Plan would leave them unable to play a pivotal role in choosing which sites were built on.
In his opening speech, council leader Neil Clarke quoted Clive Betts MP, chairman of the Communities and Local Government select committee, who recently said: "Councils must do more to protect their communities against the threat of undesirable development."
Councillor Clarke said: "We have had to make some very difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions along the way. We all have a responsibility to the whole of our borough and it is therefore upon our shoulders, as community leaders, to adopt the plan."
More than 30 members of the public attended the meeting, including Hazel Salisbury, from action group TABU (Tollerton Against Backdoor Urbanisation). She said the meeting should have waited until the next council meeting in March.
"Parish councils like Calverton are challenging the number of houses that they have to built. The decision is due on February 19th and if they are successful the numbers in Rushcliffe will change. I don't see why they needed to rush these proposals through, especially given that they have only had 12 days to look at the documents."
