January 2, 2019 11.50 am This story is over 62 months old

325 home village extension plan set for rejection

Officials said it would be “unsustainable”
An overview of the 325-home plan from the Arden family.

A plan for hundreds of new homes, cafe and office space in a village near Lincoln is expected to be rejected by councillors despite “strong community support”.

Plans by the Arden family would see 325 houses built as part of an extension to Newton-on-Trent.

The move comes as similar plans by the developer were rejected by West Lindsey District Council back in November 2016.

The proposal was also dismissed on appeal by the planning inspector in February 2018.

Layouts for the village hub.

Now, the resubmitted plan is set to go back to the authority’s planning committee on January 9.

But councillors are expected to turn down the proposal under recommendations from officers at the authority.

Officials have said the development would be “unsustainable” and that it falls in a flood risk area.

But the developer has said that the proposal has been met with “strong community support” following a referendum in the Torksey Parish last May.

A report to the district council said the new application “is a genuine and reasonable resubmission to address the inspectors’ grounds for dismissing the appeal, primarily through addressing the perceived failure to meet a demonstration of clear community support required under the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan.”

The applicants said they want to reverse a trend where “similar-sized” communities have seen a “decline in local facilities traditionally regarded to be essential for the cohesion of community life.”

An overview of the 325-home plan from the Arden family.

The development would be built in phases over a period of eight or nine years and will incorporate an extension to the High Street.

The first of these would see 125 units, while phases two and three would see 110 and 90 homes built respectively.

The “village hub” planned, aims to “help businesses within the village expand, and also to encourage start-ups by providing flexible spaces” says the report.

It will also include a licensed cafe, pop-up shops, areas for classes or meetings and a new car park.

Councillors on the authority’s planning committee will make a decision on the plans at a meeting next week.

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