Plans to create commercial fishing pond and holiday park deferred
Plans to create a commercial fishing pond and a caravan park have been deferred following concerns from a resident about the visual impact.
Applicant Seaside Leisure Parks Ltd has applied to East Lindsey District Council for the change of use of land to build 33 holiday lodges, excavation of a commercial fishing pond and construction of an internal access road, on land adjacent to Croft Lane, Croft, near Skegness.
The application was previously refused in 2019 but the applicant has made a series of adjustments to the plans and has resubmitted the proposal to the district council.
Members of the district council’s planning committee voted to defer the application following concerns from resident Howard Watson about how close the proposed development would be to his house.
At a meeting on Thursday, December 4, Mr Watson said he ‘strongly objected’ to the development and said the proposal would ‘directly adjoin’ his front garden.
He added: “My main concern is that it will change the area from countryside and will become overwhelmed by holiday homes in permanent use.
“This development will bring the total number of similar properties in permanent use to about 230 in the immediate vicinity.
“It will have a hugely negative impact on our quality of life and that of other residents.”
Coun Ruchira Yarsley (Conservative), who represents the Wragby ward, said: “Is there anything you can do about the screening because I absolutely take the gentlemen’s point? That’s literally on the other side of his house.”
Mr Clover said he was ‘aware of Mr Watson’s property’ and his concerns and would be putting in screening made up of mixed trees to mitigate the visual impact.
He added: “We have deliberately put the screening there and pushed the caravans further down from the property. We’ve tried to be as considerate as we can.”
But Coun Richard Cunnington (independent), who represents the Skegness St Clements ward, put forward a proposal to defer the application until a site visit had been carried out.
He said: “We’ve had previous refusals on this site. It sounds to me in the room here we’re all sitting here looking at it, trying to get it across the line.
“We know you don’t have a right to a view. That’s not a policy. The right to light is.
“I’m going to put a proposal forward to give them more time to get some more information on that one to clearly see the view of this one resident.
“I mean, we are not talking about a number of residents, we’re talking about one that’s going to be severely impacted and one to me is the same as a hundred.”
Members of the district council’s planning committee will now carry out a site visit to consider the concerns and will make a decision at a later date.