New homes refused for '˜industry' land

The borough’s planning committee met last Tuesday to consider the outline application for 30 dwellings which were to be accessed off Station Road, in Kirton.

The area was originally planned in 2012 as somewhere for industry and businesses to go.

Concerns were raised over traffic, with worries about an increase in vehicles leaving Station Road onto the A16, as well as joining industrial vehicles from nearby factories and businesses.

An alternative entry from Wash Road was also met with similar worries.

These concerns were echoed by the parish council, which also raised the issues of potential contamination from a tyre fire in 2003 and the ‘overdevelopment’ of the village.

Lincolnshire County Council highways – the statutory consultee for traffic safety – had raised no objection to the plans.

Coun Brian Rush argued against turning the land into a residential area, and said: “Here we have a site we have allocated as an industrial area and a sports and social club that has struggled along its way over the years and now seems to becoming a bit of a success.”

He added: “It’s completely out of place. How can we ever be assured that contamination on that land will not affect residents who live there?”

A representative from nearby Graves Park said he was concerned their pre-existing arrangement would cause problems for the ‘new neighbours’. He said events were designed to face where the new homes were planned to minimise noise.

Chris Atkinson, on behalf of the applicant Andrew Hall, said the plans would ‘provide much-needed housing’ and bring ‘economic benefits to the local area’.

Following discussions both a motion to defer for a site visit and one to delegate to planning officers to accept if plans were changed to include access from Marsh Road were voted against.

A third vote to refuse the application based on vehicular and pedestrian access and harm to highway safety was passed.