December 11, 2015 9.45 am This story is over 99 months old

Future planning priorities for Lincoln village to be decided by public vote

Referendum: Residents of a Lincoln village will have the chance to vote early next year on proposals which could see their views heard more clearly when it comes to approving planning applications.
Left to right, Joseph Siddall, vice chair of the Nettleham Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee, John Evans, chair of the Nettleham Neighbourhood Plan Steering Committee, Chair of Nettleham Parish Council Terry Williams and West Lindsey District Councillors, Steve England and Giles McNeill at the Guildhall, Gainsborough

Residents of a Lincoln village will have the chance to vote early next year on proposals which could see their views heard more clearly when it comes to approving planning applications.

A referendum has been called for Thursday, January 28, by West Lindsey District Council’s Prosperous Communities Committee to decide on the Nettleham Neighbourhood Plan.

The plan outlines the priorities for development in the village, and provides context on the area’s historical and archaeological past, as well as an overview of the services currently in place.

It has also identified sites suitable for development while considering the environmental impact of any schemes.

Key recommendations of the plan include:

  • That a green wedge of land between the village and Lincoln remains
  • Development is of a sustainable nature
  • A number of small developments are in place in order to gradually integrate newcomers

The question local electors will be asked to provide an answer to will be:

“Do you want West Lindsey District Council to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Nettleham to help decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?”

The village has seen a number of planning applications submitted over recent years.

In June 2015, proposals for 68 new homes off Scothern Road in the village were approved by West Lindsey District Council.

A month earlier, Beal Developments Ltd announced plans to construct 200 new homes and a potential sports facility on agricultural land north of Larch Avenue and south of Nettleham Beck.

West Lindsey District and Nettleham Parish Councillor, Giles McNeill, who serves on the district council’s Planning Committee, said: “It is great that the people of Nettleham will get to decide if the Neighbourhood Plan should be used by myself and colleagues at the district council when we determine applications in the village.

“I know that a huge team of people have worked on preparing the plan and will now have a nervous wait until the end of January to learn the verdict of local residents.”