Planners reject 97 new homes for Winceby Gardens

East Lindsey District Council’s planning committee voted to turn down Gleeson Regeneration’s plans to build a new 97-home estate on land off Winceby Gardens and Banovallum Gardens on Wednesday.

The proposals included a mix of detached and semi-detached dwellings all two storey in height.

Councillors felt the location of a play area was unsafe, and were critical of the density of the plans.

They felt houses on one boundary should have been single-storey to prevent them overbearing on existing bungalows and criticised a lack of green space.

Councillor Jill Makinson-Sanders said residents “deserve better”.

She said it was “important for pride of place for general well-being”.

“I’m appalled we’re not driving up the quality of design and layout,” she said.

“I don’t think we’re doing the people of Horncastle a favour by building something like this.”

Councillor Stephen Ayre called the location of a play area a “box ticking exercise” adding: “If you want the children to get flattened that’s the place to put it.”

Councillors considered deferring the application to enable changes to be made, but were told by officers in no uncertain terms that “this particular company does not build bungalows”.

A “large number of objections” had been received from local residents and Horncastle Town Council raising fears including a nearby area being used as a “rat run”, overlooking properties and an increase in crime

Retired architect Richard Barker, from the Winceby Garden Resident Action Group, said the developer had “ignored residents’ concerns”. during the meeting

Afterwards, he said: “The current-day needs for proper design and proper layout in rural locations is not an excuse for urban sprawl, which is beginning to develop around Horncastle. It’s totally unacceptable.”

Daniel Jaines , Local Democracy Reporting Service