South Holland District Council says Allison Homes has agreed to 'pause' building in Moulton Chapel

A developer has agreed to ‘pause’ work on a village site due to existing residents’ concerns, say planners.

People living in Moulton Chapel have voiced fears about the raised heights of the new houses built on the Chapel Gate development in Roman Road.

Concerns about the ‘ski slope’ raised access road and the how the estate will not be in keeping with the village were aired during last week’s Moulton Parish Council meeting.

Developer Allison Homes said site levels have been raised to meet the sustainable drainage system favoured by Lincolnshire County Council.

However South Holland District Council says work on the site has been ‘paused’.

Last October, the district council had refused to discharge the site and floor levels condition of its original planning permission due to the ‘unacceptable impact’ of nearby residents.

A district council spokesman said: “The council has been clear with Allison: the work carried out on site to date is at their own risk pending outcomes of outstanding planning conditions. The developer is acutely aware of this and we’ve been working with them and concerned residents to agree a solution.

“Given the concerns raised by residents, we’ve requested that Allison pause on site until a solution can be reached. Allison have agreed and confirmed this in writing. We’ve also been clear that should Allison take the decision to carry on with its on-site work, we will look at what enforcement action is available to us.”

Craig Brooker had spoke out about the raised floor levels during last week’s Moulton Parish Council meeting.

He referred to the access road as a ‘ski slope’.

Mr Brooker said: “As someone who has lived all my life in the fens it is out of keeping with the environment. I feel very sorry for the people that live around it.”

An Allison Homes spokesman said: “Our Chapel Gate development in Moulton Chapel received full planning consent from South Holland District Council in 2021. As part of this approval, and in order to achieve the sustainable drainage system that is favoured by Lincolnshire County Council, the site levels have been raised in line with that approval.

“The development will provide 86 high quality new homes including a number of bungalows and affordable properties as well as public green open spaces. As part of our legal obligation to the local authority, a total of £141,144 will be made in Section 106 payments and we understand these have been allocated to the local primary school and medical centre.

“We believe that the finished development will deliver a successful outcome for the new and existing residents, and we look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure that this happens.”