Petition seeks to protect Mill Field in Market Deeping from future housing developments
A green space which has hosted community events for generations could be turned over to housing developers.
Mill Field in Market Deeping has been earmarked for potential development within the next 20 years.
It has been included in South Kesteven District Council’s draft local plan as a site which could help to meet the district’s future housing need.
It is estimated that 14,020 new homes must be built in South Kesteven by 2041 – the equivalent of 701 each year.
MP for South Holland and the Deepings, Sir John Hayes, has launched a petition to protect the future of Mill Field. He is calling for the site to be removed from the draft plan and is urging residents to sign the petition as soon as possible before he presents it in the House of Commons.
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Sir John said: “Having long fought to protect green space in the Deepings, I have been contacted by many residents who are concerned by these latest plans, and I share their worries that they will lose a key green space to housing.
“Mill Field is an intrinsic part of the rurality of our local area and should be protected so that it can continue to provide residents with space for recreation for years to come.”
Mill Field is an 11-hectare site owned by Lincolnshire County Council. It sits alongside Millfield Road and is bordered by hedgerows and trees. Historically it was used by the Oddfellows charity for sport and gala events and football matches were held there between the two world wars. It also hosted The Deepings Agricultural Show between 1956 and 2013.
Pam Steele, from the Friends of Mill Field, said: “It’s a place where people go to walk and to run. Losing it to housing would have a tremendous impact on people’s mental and physical health and it would ruin the character of the area.
“We’re always being told that we need open spaces. It would be easy to hand this over to housing now but then it would be lost forever. It would be a real shame because it’s the last part of countryside in Market Deeping.”
The petition not only calls for the site to be removed from the plan, but also to be designated as a local green space.
People can sign the petition at the MP’s constituency office in Westlode Street, Spalding. They can also send their full name and address to davieshm@parliament.uk or call 01775 711534 to be added to the list.
