Plans for 73 homes in Ancaster given the green light despite concerns
South Kesteven District Council planning committee backed planning for the homes to be built on the land north of Wilsford Lane, Ancaster
Plans to build up to 73 homes in a village have been given the green light – despite concerns about noise and road safety.
At a South Kesteven District Council planning committee meeting on September 25, councillors backed an outline planning application for the homes to be built on the land north of Wilsford Lane, Ancaster.
The 6.3 hectare site sits opposite an existing development of 96 homes, which are in the process of being built. The operational Castle quarry sits to the south of the proposed site.
Some councillors raised concerns about the extra strain which this development would put on local services.
Coun Ian Stokes (Conservative), who represents the Peascliffe & Ridgeway ward, said he was ‘concerned’ about the changes to the plan which have made the development a lot bigger than it was originally set out to be.
He said: “On the opposite side of the road, there were 96 houses built and that was after the original plan of 48. That’s double.
“Now we have this application on the other side of the road where the original plan was 35 houses and I considered that to be enough.”
Coun Stokes added: “There are so many problems with this application. It’s a rural area and it only has a junior school. The doctors are already full and it’s unlikely that they will get any more doctors.
“There are only two trains each way which isn’t a comprehensive service to anywhere. It’s very poor.
“The bus service has no direct route to Lincoln. This means that there’s going to be a lot more traffic in the area. The A153 isn’t a very good road and can be very dangerous.”
But agent James Stone said the plans followed the district council’s local plan, which sets out areas that are suitable for development.
He added: “The proposal before you is for 73 homes which have been carefully designed to ensure that they’re in accordance with the council’s local plan.
“There will be 16 dwellings per hectare which is much lower than many other applications in the area.
“The Bellway scheme on the opposite side of the road was also adopted into the local plan.
“We’re also proposing to add some public open space to the development which would provide a new recreational space and heritage benefits to the area.”
Coun Vanessa Smith (Green Party), who represents the Casewick ward, said she was worried that residents would be very close to the existing quarry.
She said: “I wondered if there’s going to be anything done to mitigate the dust?”
Mr Stone said: “This has already been established in the local plan.
“We’re not proposing any housing closer than the local plan allows. The council’s own environmental health team is not concerned about the air quality.”
A 150 metre acoustic barrier has been proposed to reduce the noise for residents living in the new development.
Additional cycle and walking routes would also be put in around the site under the plans.
A new junction has also been put forward on Wilsford Lane to provide additional access to the new development.
Coun Max Sawyer (independent), who represents the Stamford All Saints ward, questioned whether the developer could guarantee that it would follow all of the conditions which the council had set out.
Mr Stone said: “The developer has worked with the council on this and is happy with the conditions. Yes, it will be able to fulfil every one of these.”
But Coun Paul Wood (independent), who represents the Viking ward, said he supported the development.
He said: “I’m quite happy with this scheme. There’s a lot of open space proposed.”