Woodhall Spa - Enough is enough

“Because of residents’ concerns over this planning application the Parish Council have a duty to hold a public meeting for residents to give their views.

“The bottom line is the parish council are elected to represent the views of residents in Woodhall Spa, one could ask how would the parish council know our views if they don’t hold a public meeting to hear them”.

Coun Bradwell makes a very good point. Woodhall is inundated with house building proposals which if all are allowed to go through will turn a much treasured village into a sprawling town.

It is pretty clear to me that the community accepts the need for house building but not on the out of control scale that we face. This Nelstrop estate of potentially up to 600 plus houses is quite simply too much. Enough is enough.

I, like many I speak to, don’t think the Parish Council is listening to the views of the community let alone representing them.

At the date of writing, there has been no announcement from the Parish Council that they will consult the community about this Nelstrop proposal – time is short. I’m very concerned about this, as are our District and County Councillors.

Looking at the wider view, there is no planning rational for the Nelstrop plan or any other plans that want to concrete over vast stretches of open countryside.

When taken together: the allocated sites (as identified in ELDC’s Local Plan) and windfall sites, the numbers of houses in the pipeline for Woodhall is well in excess of the Local Plan target. And, District -wide the pipeline has more than the 5 year supply as stipulated by Whitehall.

So, there is no good reason to grant permission to the Nelstrop housing estate.

This is the key planning argument - with the District having a supply above target and Woodhall specifically a supply well above the Local Plan target, why allow yet more houses to be built on open countryside?

So, the Nelstrop proposal is not needed, not wanted and an incursion into open countryside. The development fails the key planning test of “harm” to the community.

I look forward to my Parish Council organising a proper community meeting and seeking to hear our views.

Graham Keegan

Woodhall Spa