Nottinghamshire County Council have objected to plans for the UK's first Oxylane Village. The 50-acre sports village was being planned by the Oxylane Group, owners of the Decathlon chain.
NCC's environment and sustainability committee advised Broxtowe Borough Council, the authority responsible for making the final decision, to not go ahead with the plans.
The proposed £15 million development would be adjacent to junction 26 of the M1 and the Kimberley/Eastwood bypass, near Nuthall, and would include cycle paths and tracks as well as tennis courts, football areas and gyms. A Decathlon store would also be a central feature.
There are currently 10 Oxylane Villages up and running in France, the aim being to make exercise accessible by offering multiple sports in one place, as well as providing the opportunity to buy equipment on site. A similar 'try before you buy' development is being planned south of Birmingham, though isn't as an Oxylane project.
Councellor Richard Butler, chairman of NCC's environment and sustainability committee, was quoted by the Eastwood & Kimberley Advertiser as saying: "The county council considers that the proposed development constitutes inappropriate development within the green belt, and is therefore contrary to paragraph 89 of the national planning policy."
Oxylane Village director Luke Fillingham told trade website BikeBiz.com: "Local people will benefit from our project, so they support it. The majority of local politicians are in favour because they represent the local people. Let's hope the final result reflects this just as it should."
Oxylane say they're planning about 30 similar developments for the UK (as well as 100 Decathlon stores for the country). They currently have 13 'standard' stores in the UK, all with a cycle section, the major bike brand on offer being B'Twin.