Controversial 3G football pitch in Horncastle approved despite residents' 'immense' impact concerns
Controversial plans to build a new 3G football pitch at a school in Horncastle have been approved, despite critics arguing that it will have an “immense” impact on local residents.
The Horncastle Education Trust (HET) proposed building the new sports hub at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School (QEGS) in December 2022.
However, residents living on Lincoln Road and in surrounding neighbourhoods claim that the pitch would be too close to their homes, potentially compromising their backyard views and causing disruptive noise.
The planning application garnered over 40 formal objections on the council’s online planning portal.
During a meeting, a speaker representing the local community explained that residents on Lincoln Road tend to use their back gardens as an “escape from traffic noise,” and this application would jeopardise that, as he urged the committee to “consider the health and wellbeing” of the community.
Nevertheless, East Lindsey District Council approved the plans on Thursday (May 9), with Planning Committee chairman Councillor Stephen Eyre (Conservative) promising that residents’ concerns had been listened to and would be “kept at the forefront” of the school’s considerations.
Councillor Richard Avison (Conservative) heavily criticised the project when it was discussed last month, comparing it to a “prison-like structure.”
He remarked: “We hear all too often ‘not in my backyard’, but unfortunately there lies the problem.
“These residents are going to see this all day, every day, not just for 90 minutes or so of football.”