Over 260 objections to plans for 160 new homes in Lincoln village

Developers seeking approval for 160 new homes in the village of Navenby near Lincoln will see their plans go before North Kesteven District Council’s Lafford Planning Committee – against over 260 objections.

The application for the homes (slightly increased from the original application for 157), associated landscaping, parking and infrastructure is off greenfield land at Top Farm, off Green Man Road in Navenby

The 5ha site is currently being used as a mix of paddocks, arable field and farmyard.

House types include a range of buildings between two and five bedrooms, also guaranteeing 35% affordable housing (56 in total ranging from one to four beds).

An example of the style of houses planned for the area.

The plans, by joint applicants Lindum Group Ltd and Linden Ltd, were due to be discussed at a meeting on May 26, however the meeting has now been postponed to June 2 at 5pm.

Because of a limited capacity a ticketing system will be put into place. A ticketing hotline will be opened at 9am on Friday, May 22. People interested in attending should call 01529 308224.

A total of 261 local resident submitted objections to the plans, raising concerns about how rapidly the village is expanding.

The main issues that are being considered by planning officers are the volume of traffic generated in the area and the impact on education and local health services.

In the planning report ahead of the meeting, case officer Steve Watson summed up concerns raised: “Proposed access route onto the A15 is inadequate. The access is on a gradient meaning that HGVs exiting will travel slowly when joining a 60mph road.

“157 households would impact significantly on the volume of traffic into the village from the major A15 and A607 roads, resulting in delays and obstructions for current road users and creating insufficient road capacity.”

Navenby Parish Council objected to the plans, stating initially that at a public meeting attended by 230 people there was no support for the scheme.

The objection also stated: “We already have a total of 143 houses in the pipeline from a base of 2011 – 64 built or with planning permission and 79 in pre-planning for in-fill sites at Chapel Heath, which we consider reasonable and sustainable additions.”

The report also mentions that the A607 has long been considered one of Lincolnshire’s red routes for traffic accidents.

One local resident wrote: “I am led to believe that the housing in Navenby over the last 12-15 years has already risen by approximately 30% – which is way above the recommended guidelines.”

The Education Authority has requested a contribution of £360,846.00 towards the provision of an additional 32 primary school places to serve the development.

This would be used to increase the capacity of Navenby Primary school only.

A sum of £218,419.20 would be committed to off-site recreational space, spent within the parish, £3,500 would be put towards the provision of a Road Traffic Order to relocate the 30mph zone and an annual contribution of £5,000 would support the Navenby bus service.

The Highways Authority has raised no objection to the development subject to the imposition of a number of planning conditions.

It has been recommended that the scheme is approved with conditions that it is begun no later than two years, that materials and landscaping are agreed in writing and relevant assessments have been carried out.

A spokesman for Linden Homes said: “Since the planning application was submitted in August 2014 we have worked with local people, planners along with the other consultees, and have made a number of changes in response to comments received.

“These changes have been re-consulted on and officers are sufficiently satisfied that the scheme is now acceptable, hence the recommendation for approval.

“Planning applications attract funds and provision through the Section 106 agreement to meet local requirements.

“Linden Homes has been working closely with the local planning authority and the community to ensure that these planning obligations are fulfilled.

“This has resulted in around £600,000 being allocated to Navenby, alongside the delivery of 56 much needed affordable homes.”