Plans for over 3 thousand houses plus shops, leisure facilities and a primary school discussed in Lincoln
The Western Corridor scheme has divided opinion
A meeting today will decide whether to give the go ahead to plans for more than 3-thousand new houses, a shopping centre, leisure facilities and a school in Lincoln.
City councillors are making a decision on outline blueprints for the Western corridor scheme.
They'll also look at more detailed proposals for road works to help the first phase of construction.
We spoke to Councillor Richard Johnston who represents the Skellingthorpe ward.
He told us to consider a vast increase in traffic and just a mitigation plan for a lead in road seems naive.
However the City council says if approved, a new spine road will take traffic away from the area and avoid current queues.
Lincolnshire County Council has previously objected to the 240-hectare Western Growth Corridor from the City of Lincoln Council and Lindum Western Growth Community Ltd, due to concerns it could make “already difficult congestion far worse”.
On Wednesday, portfolio holder for economy Councillor Colin Davie told the authority’s executive: “We don’t believe our objections can be overcome by the planning documents.”
He said they had written to Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove to ask him to call in the application for his determination.
Highways portfolio holder Councillor Richard Davies added: “Local government has seen a number of cases where local communities have really been devastated by poor planning decisions and I think we’re at a crux with this particular development.
Lincoln’s MP Karl McCartney has also written to Mr Gove.
He said in a statement: “I fully support the county council’s concerns in respect to the city council’s Western Growth Corridor planning application.
“Over 150 residents have emailed me since mid – December objecting to this application and I fully support their concerns. In the past I know over 500 local residents in the Birchwood, Hartsholme and Skellingthorpe areas have expressed concerns at similar planned developments and inadequate infrastructure provisions within those plans.
“To confirm, I have also written to the Secretary of State and asked for this application to formally be called in.
“The socialists in City Hall must listen carefully to the County Council’s objections as the Highways’ Authority for our County. As ever, there is no guarantee the City Council’s promises in respect to further transport improvements will be carried through – as it is potentially highly likely that the City Council will not exist in its current form in five years’ time, once we finally see local government reorganisation in Lincolnshire.”
Local residents have also raised fears about flooding on the land.