'We can't believe it's been approved' - North Thoresby residents react to village expansion plans

North Thoresby residents have reacted to village expansion plans which will see the village grow in size by 40 percent.
A photo of Ludborough Road, North Thoresby by Ruairidh Greig.A photo of Ludborough Road, North Thoresby by Ruairidh Greig.
A photo of Ludborough Road, North Thoresby by Ruairidh Greig.

Last month, it was reported that East Lindsey District Council had approved the creation of 198 new homes on Ludborough Road – increasing the number of homes in the village by 40 per cent at once – leading to criticism from councillors and residents alike

The site was only approved for 130 homes in East Lindsey’s local plan, and the scheme, by Cyden Homes, had previously been sent back to the drawing board in July, and despite vocal opposition from some of the council’s planning committee, it was given approval the second time around on December 1.

Councillor Terry Aldridge recommended that plans were refused at the meeting, saying the school would be unable to cope with the influx of new children.

North Thoresby.North Thoresby.
North Thoresby.

He said following the meeting: “This development could see more than 400 children added to the mix, if each house has two or more children, we just can’t believe they’ve approved this.

"There were 130 objections before the meeting, ELDC are supposed to listen to the people, and they haven’t.

"Also, the new houses aren’t in keeping with the village, which dates back to the Domesday Book.”

However, the majority of members found the plans were sufficiently improved.

Councillor Neil Jones seconded the proposal to approve plans, saying there had been “a lot of work by developers” to make it more acceptable.

Parish Councillor Heather Howard countered saying that residents didn’t feel they were being listened to, and that they were not properly consulted on the plans:

"It’s frustrating because we weren’t listened to,” she said, “We don’t feel we were consulted properly on this at all and that we were just bulldozed over when the decision was made.”

Many residents of North Thoresby have also contacted the Leader to express their anger at the plans – Cilla and Kevin Taylor also expressed concerns that the increase in traffic onto the A16 at the exit from the village will make the junction more dangerous.

Several residents claimed they had limited ability to comment on the development. Sue and Geoff Hensmen said residents could not go to the planning office to view and discuss the plans because of covid.

Kitty Wright and Ian Wright, chairman of the North Thoresby Community Events Association, added: “It would seem absolutely obvious that a community which has developed organically over a thousand years should not have imposed on it a development which adds 40 per cent or more to its housing stock; could easily double its population and is based on a plan which will effectively produce a housing estate on the edge of the settlement.

"Villages are communities, small enough, and with enough shared history among their residents, to have a community identity. Everyone recognises that we all need to play our part in the provision of homes but that has to be proportionate and to preserve what exists while adding to it.”

Alan Mitchell pointed out that Ludborough Road is less than six metres wide, and buses cannot pass each other bus safely, and the proposed two metre wide pathway on that road, as recommended by the county highways officials, would be difficult to incorporate without “severely affecting almost every road user”.

Steven Ibbotson of Cyden Homes promised that the redesign following consultation with local residents would see fewer homes built on the boundary.

“This will provide much needed housing for North Thoresby and East Lindsey in a sustainable location, supporting infrastructure in the village,” he said.

However, he defended the volume of homes, saying: “In all forms of life, we should be as efficient as possible. Otherwise, it is poor design and poor planning.”

As part of the planning agreement, Cyden Homes will make a contribution of £1.2m to local schools, which could be used to create an access gate for pupils on the new estate.

It was also recommended that a footpath be added to the north of the development at a later date.

An East Lindsey District Council spokesperson said: “We appreciate that residents may disagree with the conclusion that was reached, however, members robustly considered the application on Thursday, December 1 in line with planning legislation, and concluded that the proposals were in accordance with planning policy, and that the previous reasons for deferral had been sufficiently addressed.

"As such they supported the officer recommendation to approve."