Garden Village ‘to drive Grantham’s growth’ says SKDC

Plans for one of the country’s first Garden Villages on the outskirts of Grantham took a major step forward this week.

The Spitalgate Heath site, on the southern edge of Grantham, is one of only 14 Garden Villages to be recently designated by the Government and will provide up to 3,700 new homes.

Members of South Kesteven District Council’s development management committee yesterday evening (Tuesday) accepted the principle of the application for the development site and will consider full details in the autumn.

Councillor Jacky Smith, cabinet member for major projects, said: “This is great news for Grantham, its residents and businesses. Garden Villages are all about creating new communities with green spaces, good transport links and aspirational homes.

“The new draft Local Plan which is out for consultation proposes some 8,600 new homes in Grantham for the period 2011 to 2036 and the Garden Village will be a big step towards meeting the housing needs of current and future residents and will help ensure that we attract vital facilities to the town including health services.

“There is no doubt that house building plays a vital role in stimulating growth in the area and has a positive impact on the local economy.”

The 224-hectare village, which was already earmarked for new housing, will also include 110,000 square metres of employment space, creating up to 3,000 new jobs, a primary and secondary school, a health centre, sports facilities and shops.

The Garden Village will have lots of natural landscaping with open spaces, woodlands, tree lined streets and ecological habitats.

A new riverside park, outdoor sports and play areas, community orchard and allotments will be connected by footpaths, cycleways and landscaped corridors.

Coun Mike King, cabinet member for economy and development, said that the application had evolved over a long period of time during which SKDC had worked closely with its partners – Lincolnshire County Council, the majority landowners Buckminster and the Homes and Communities Agency – to create the highest quality development.

He said: “The Spitalgate Heath site represents the lion’s share of the planned growth for Grantham and as far as I am concerned the benefits of the scheme far outweigh any disadvantages.

“We want to mirror the spirit of the original Garden City movement. We don’t want to simply provide homes and jobs; we want to create a special place that will complement our ambitions for Grantham.

“We want it to be an attractive environment with front gardens, tree-lined streets and homes for people of all ages which are attractively designed, energy efficient and sustainable.”