Plans from David Wilson Homes for 200 homes in Harlaxton near Grantham refused by South Kesteven District Council

An application to build 200 homes has been rejected.

The plans had been put forward by David Wilson Homes to build the properties in Swinehill, Harlaxton, in March this year.

The proposal included a T-junction as well as a 2 metre footpath and 3 metre cyclepath, providing access to the village. The development also featured 11.75 hectares of public open space including informal play space, a children’s play area, natural green space, community orchard and gardens.

South Kesteven District Council said the proposal was on land which had not been allocated for residential development in its Local Plan. The district council said the plans would ‘harm’ the heritage of Grade I listed Harlaxton Manor, its historic garden and the conservation area.

The report said: “This development does not have support from the local community or the parish council, and would extend obtrusively into the open countryside with harm to wide reaching landscape views, local heritage assets and the conservation area.”

The report went on to say that that Harlaxton Water Recycling Centre and the waste water treatment facilities would be unable to cope with the additional demand.

The report said: “The proposal does not fully assess the impacts of the additional traffic and transport infrastructure on the local and national highway network, or propose mitigation measures for improvements to sustainable transport.”

It added: “The applicant has failed to enter into a planning obligation to secure the necessary financial contributions to education and healthcare provision required to support the development, and the required 30% affordable housing.”

A spokesperson for David Wilson Homes East Midlands said: “Having taken feedback from residents and the local authorities on board, we are disappointed that our planning application for up to 200 homes on land in Harlaxton has been refused.

“We believe the proposed development would offer a wide range of benefits for the village and its surrounding areas, including affordable homes, a significant amount of accessible public open space, footpath and cycle routes, and new wildlife habitats to enhance local biodiversity.

“It’s important to us to engage with the local community so we can design and build a development that enhances the local area and stands the test of time, should we be successful in obtaining planning approval in the future.”