A district councillor has accused a town council of attempting a land-grab over proposed changes to parish boundaries.

Mr Johno Lee, who represents Balderton on Newark and Sherwood District Council, is urging residents to have their say in consultations about plans for land south of Newark and for the Highfields School site.

He said land south of Newark — that will become the new Middlebeck development — should remain in the Balderton parish.

Newark Town Council is backing a proposal for the boundary to be moved to allow the development to fall within its area.

Middlebeck is expected to include more than 3,000 homes, schools, community facilities and a GP surgery.

Mr Lee is supporting Balderton Parish Council, which said Bowbridge Lane should remain the boundary line.

“We need the support of every Balderton councillor and the public or we could lose a major part of Balderton to Newark,” he said. “This is a complete land-grab.”

The parish council said the town council’s main motivation for wanting the land south of Newark was financial, which the the town council denies.

Balderton Parish Council clerk Mrs Cheryl Davison-Lyth said: “The potential loss of substantial community infrastructure levy funds, along with on-going council tax contributions, is considered to be the main driving force (of the proposed change).”

She said the council thought people living on the Middlebeck development would use Balderton’s facilities more readily than those in Newark because they were closer.

“Balderton has its own secondary and primary schools, health centre, library, dentist, post office, public houses, vets, café, hairdressers and beauty salons, supermarkets and independent shops, all of which are easily within walking distance of the Middlebeck area,” she said.

A review of Newark boundaries was carried out four years ago when land previously in the Hawton parish moved to Newark. An area next to that is now the subject of further consultation.

At the moment the north/south boundary between Newark and Balderton follows the line of Bowbridge Lane.

'Community cohesion'

The clerk to the town council, Mr Alan Mellor, said the layout of the Middlebeck development was different to that anticipated when the previous review was undertaken.

He said a road had been realigned and moved further west before it joined with the new southern relief road. As a result, the current parish boundary cuts through the new housing development with some homes straddling it, some parts falling into Newark and others into Balderton.

Mr Mellor said the town council was supporting the proposal that the boundary should follow the line of the Sustrans route, which already forms the boundary between the two parishes from a point just north of Hawton Lane to just south of London Road.

The proposed change would see Middlebeck falling into the town council’s area.

“The town council feels from a community cohesion perspective this would ensure that all the new housing development planned south of Newark would be in one parish council area and ensure local services, such as parks and open spaces, playing fields and playgrounds, were undertaken by one organisation — Newark Town Council,” Mr Mellor said.

“The current boundary would result in a split of service provision that would be confusing to the community and may result in a disparity between council tax liabilities if such services were not provided on a consistent basis by one council.”

The consultation will also look at the boundary between the two parishes on London Road.

The town council said a new housing development proposed for the Highfields School site would cut across the existing boundary between Newark and Balderton — resulting in houses in that development falling into two council areas.

The town council is supporting the proposal for the boundary to follow the Sustrans route until it meets with London Road and then follow the northern limit of the development to join with the current boundary before it crosses Barnbygate.

The consultation, approved by Newark and Sherwood District Council, started on Monday and continues until May 25. An updated report is due to be presented to the council in July.