March 13, 2019 5.23 pm This story is over 60 months old

Councillors accused of “selling out” for approving village expansion

The chairman broke a tie vote to approve the plans
The entrance to the site from Hawthorne Gardens, in Goxhill.

There were shouts of “shame”, “sell out” and “you wait for the elections” after councillors agreed to an 85-home expansion of a North Lincolnshire village

The move was made despite residents’ concerns the development would erode the character of the village.

Residents said the roads will be unable to take the extra traffic.

They have previously  argued the development is too large for the village and have concerns over a planned community building which is now set to be considered separately,

Concerns also included safety – particularly for walkers, schoolchildren and horse-riders, and the sustainability of the development.

The plans for the development in Goxhill.

Geoff Teesdale, former governor and vice chairman of Goxhill Primary School told councillors families’ children were already being turned away.

“Any new addition will push all the classes to their limit,” he said.

Another objector, Ms Gibbons said: “The applicant has not gone far enough to prove the sustainability of the proposal and has not gone far enough to bring benefits to the village to offset the adverse impacts.

“The vast majority of residents want some of their lost services back, but they do not see how such a large development will deliver that.”

Objectors ready to speak at North Lincolnshire’s planning committee.

Members of North Lincolnshire’s planning committee originally voted to undertake a site visit after more than 100 letters were received against Keigar Homes’ plans.

Officers however, told councillors:  “The proposed development would have the social and economic benefits of addressing the current under-supply of housing land by the provision of market housing as well as affordable housing.”

The land was bought by Keigar in 1980 and initially developed in 2000 with plans to build the applied for phase in the future.

The land had previously been covered in commercial glass greenhouses until the mid-1980s.

The planning committee sitting at North Lincolnshire.

Garry Whall, of Keigar Homes, previously said the company had listened to the concerns of Goxhill residents.

During the meeting, he said the objections had been “fully answered” and that the report had covered “every conceivable report.”

He added a number of objections were repeated which he said “represents a small minority and not the feeling of the majority of residents in the village.”

The applicant was asked to make more than £635,944 in developers’ contributions for education and leisure, including more than half-a-million for education.

Five committee members called for the application to be withdrawn, with Councillor David Wells saying the cost to schools would be “much higher than the contribution.”

However, a tie in voting was broken by committee chairman Councillor Nigel Sherwood.