9 September 2014
A north Nottinghamshire community group has put forward an ambitious plan to bring affordable self build housing to land surrounding two 200ft high coalmine headstocks.
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The proposal from the Clipstone Colliery Regeneration Group (CCRG) is part of a campaign to fight plans to demolish the listed headstocks that dominate the landscape near the village.
The three-acre site is currently owned by Welbeck Estates on a long lease to the Coal Authority which is looking to exit the agreement, having restored the land to a tillable condition. The CCRG hopes to move forward with a masterplan that secures the site from Welbeck specifically targeting the regeneration of the headstocks as a way of unlocking finance from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). This, in turn, would be the catalyst to roll out the delivery of the self build homes.
Obstacles such as local unemployment, underemployment and a lack of affordable housing would be tackled through educating and training local people in how to build their own homes.
CCRG project manager Denise Barraclough said: “This would provide an opportunity for local people to build their own high-quality homes and to try and reinvigorate a sense of community that was lost when the mine closed. The idea is that people can join forces and share skills through self building.
“But we are at a very early stage, as we do not have planning permission for anything and we do not, as yet, have the landowner’s permission to apply for HLF. We are at a community engagement stage where we are trying to get as many people on board as we can.”
