Owners' 'disappointed' after fresh car park proposal in Sleaford is rejected

A newly-submitted application made for car parking, including options for market use at 26 Southgate in Sleaford has been returned to the applicant and will not be determined by North Kesteven District Council.

The application by owners and property developers Nick Allen and Rob Wilcox was for a similar scheme to that which had already been dismissed at appeal and which is subject to an enforcement notice.

The owners last month fenced off the car park on June 7 to comply with a council enforcement requirement after a government independent planning inspector dismissed their appeal against a second refusal by the district council to formalise a temporary arrangement.

The decision to reject the fresh proposal at an early stage is said by NKDC to be in line with powers to decline to determine “repeat applications”.

It had been given temporary permission as a car park after the site had approval in 2007 for a housing, office and retail scheme. The 40 space car park was to bridge a period of economic downturn around 2009-2010 but the period was extended. NKDC says it remains allocated within the Local Plan as a potential site for a range of uses including office, commercial, retail and/or residential.

Council Leader Coun Richard Wright said: “This latest application also sought to hold a market three days a week, two of which would be in direct competition to the established market operated by Sleaford Town Council. Given that the market already has an historic home that will soon be traffic-free and dedicated for stallholders, with an improved environment in which the town council can look to grow the market, it seems counterintuitive to purposefully seek to undermine that opportunity.”

In a statement, Nick Allen and Rob Wilcox said they are “very disappointed” with the latest NKDC decision.

“We had hoped to get this application in front of the elected planning committee, if we had been successful in getting to committee we think we would stand a good chance of gaining approval to re-open as a carpark,” they said.

"We thought it (the application to hold markets on the site) may help out NKDC for somewhere to hold their market, whilst the Market Place was closed. It was not for us to hold our own markets unfortunately we never got the chance to discuss this with NKDC.

“We have had so many comments from Sleaford residents and businesses who can not believe we have had to close the car park.

“It’s also now a reality how this closure has affected the local businesses and they all wanted to have a chance to show the planners the facts of what their decisions have done to their businesses.

“The (Riverside) Church next door is losing customers and are very concerned of what the future holds.”

They claimed the ward member, Coun Linda Edwards-Shea, had also expressed her concerns and they will continue to look at options for the site .

Coun Wright said: “The Southgate car park was only ever supposed to be a temporary use given the difficult economic circumstances during the downturn in 2009/10. Generously we extended the temporary period but as far back as 2017 advised the applicant that there would be no further extensions of time and that the landowners should either bring forward the mixed use development they had permission for, or engage with the council on an alternative regeneration scheme. Sadly they have not done so and the refusal and enforcement action can be no surprise to them, nor can the legitimate use of powers to decline to determine a repeat application.

“An independent Planning Inspector has already endorsed the Council’s approach by dismissing the appeal and upholding enforcement on that. The choice for the landowners is now simple, deliver a development that brings commercial, retail or residential uses that will add vitality and viability into the heart of the town centre.”

In dismissing the owners’ appeal, the planning inspector said there was no shortage of spaces in Sleaford. The council said the Market Place remains available for parking up to July 19 and after it closes there remain 500 parking spaces across seven council-run car parks, plus 50 in Jermyn Street also off Southgate. This increases to 700 across nine locations every evening and weekend when Lafford Terrace is added in and will be close to 750 over ten sites when structural issues are resolved to allow the Westgate car park to re-open.

Jack Marris is a Centre Leader managing the Source cafe and rooms at the neighbouring Riverside Church said he would be carefully looking at income levels in case the car park closure affects facilities hire bookings.

He said: “The county council hire our premises and their latest group was going to report back that we no longer had parking facilities within a reasonable distance.“We have other people that hire the place that have items such as sound equipment for exercise classes who are having to carry them from a further distance.”

Mr Marris said that clients often want to book the rooms for a day and the closest car parks only allow short stay parking. “We have checked and the only ones that do longer are Eastgate and East Banks,” he said.

"We have a firm from Heckington that teaches refresher courses for ambulance crews and they have to carry in six different sizes of dummies.” He questioned whether they would lose them too.

"The loss of the car park is bad for us and could reduce our income.”

The loss of room hire fees could jeopardise the employment of their three paid members of staff and their ability to subsidise meals for those less fortunate.

He said some less able members of their church need to be dropped off close by instead of using the car park.

Coun Linda Edwards-Shea said she was keen to meet with Mr Allen to talk about parking and options for the site: “Residents are really worried and we really do need to do something about it, she said.

"We have known for a long time that the Southgate car park was temporary, but the owner has to protect his site and has put fencing up, but the pet shop in Millstream Square is losing passing trade because the footbridge is blocked.

"There is evidence that some businesses are losing money because of the car park removal – it is an issue that is not going to go away,” she said.

"The town is going to need some joined-up thinking on what is going to replace those car parks lost. If we were to get more public transport it would be different.”