Gainsborough councillor says new homes are 'a disaster waiting to happen'

While attending a West Lindsey District Council Planning Committee meeting, Coun Mathew Boles (Liberal Democrat) labelled North Country Home’s plans for land to the west of Horsley Road as “dangerous”.

The original proposals, from Thonock and Somerby Estates, were approved at outline stage in 2019, although sparked outcry from a number of local residents who believed the land is at “huge risk” of flooding and also cited issues regarding access and parking.

Coun Boles said: “There are still huge concerns about this, mainly the access.

“It is just dangerous, there’s no other way to put it. That’s when it’s built, what it’s going to be like while under constriction I dread to think.

“Access is next to the child’s play area on the original estate, that is an accident waiting to happen.

“As we saw from the cars parked around the estate, how on Earth are construction lorries going to get in and out of that access point?

“If there was an accident, how are emergency vehicles going to get in and out? They’re just not.

“It is a disaster waiting to happen and we should be doing better for our residents.”

He later cited worries over the growing number of housing developments across the town and explained he felt this site would be much better suited as an extension to the Roses Sport Ground.

He said: “We have two sports grounds in Gainsborough that are both at capacity and that is before we build thousands of houses.

“Where are these people going to have sport and leisure?

“We are failing the residents of Gainsborough by ramming in housing developments that are just not fit for purpose.”

The meeting was told that those concerns weren’t up for discussion at that time, since outline approval had already been granted.

Members of the Planning Committee were then asked to vote on designs for the layout, scale, appearance and landscaping of the development.

These were passed, with the only opposition being from Coun Boles.