The new 500-acre village will create around 2,000 jobs and include 4,000 traditional-style houses, parks, gardens, shops, restaurants, pubs, doctors' surgeries, primary schools, a hotel and transport links.

If plans go ahead a new road will be built to access the site. The five possible options - all cutting through green belt land - were outlined in the newsletter as follows:

Options A is a new junction on the M1 between junction 25 and 26, located close to Stanton Gate. Option B is a western link to the A52 cutting through open land to the west of Stanton-by-Dale, option C involves an eastern link to the A52 through the Erewash Valley using a stretch of Ilkeston Road, option D is a western link to the A52 using sections of the existing highway, and option E is a road linking the A6007 with the possible addition of a Kirk Hallam bypass.

Spring UR have said the road might have the look and feel of a county A road, with facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

The five options are now being assessed in an appraisal process which will look at accessibility, economy, environmental impact, integration and safety. The results are entered into an appraisal summary table for a like-for-like comparison and a final decision will be made in autumn this year.

Spring UR's newsletter was put together following their design enquiry week - a public consultation with 150 residents and 70 community organisations.

The main concerns voiced at the consultation were about the access route, the impact on countryside and green spaces and the impact of industrial development on the residents. People who attended said they want to ensure the development acts as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of Ilkeston and insisted the character of nearby villages be protected.

Construction is not likely to be completed until some time between 2026 and 2031, but Spring UR said the first people could move into their new homes and jobs as early as 2011.

Stanton Bonna, which will create 70 jobs alone, have already been given planning permission for the site.

The Stanton Ironworks plant closed in May last year with the loss of 220 jobs - ending 150 years of iron pipe production.

Saint Gobain made the decision at the end of 2006, saying they had been affected by the rising cost of steel and energy.

The site was identified in an Erewash Borough Council Area Action Plan in 2006 as a suitable location for residential and commercial development.

pic saved as: stanton plan
Stanton Ironworks regeneration area. How the development will look.
Key: Black - commercial/ office, pink - community, purple - industrial, yellow - hotel/ conference facility, light brown - residential and red - retail mixed use.