Crowland Parish Council is disappointed service station developers have ignored improvement ideas

Disappointed councillors say the developer behind plans for a new service station in Crowland has ignored ideas to ease concerns of residents.

At last week’s Crowland Parish Council meeting, members explained that they had tried to suggest amendments to a scheme to build a service station with 61 lorry spaces on land between James Road and the A16.

Councillors said they had met with representatives from Redcharge Roadside Services in a bid to minimise disruption for those living nearby.

Members wanted a ‘noise abatement barrier’ in place and an exit from the site onto the A16 north.

The plans have been changed and re-submitted to South Holland District Council – but parish councillors’ ideas were not taken on board.

Chairman David Kempton said: “I for one was disappointed that the changes they have made are quite small and won’t improve the situation significantly.”

Members were concerned by the ‘circulation’ of the traffic on the site – which will mean that HGVs have to go in and out of the site near to James Road.

Coun Bryan Alcock said: “It creates a position so that they do visit the most sensitive end of the site twice.”

Councillors vowed to raise the potential for an exit onto the A16 north with Lincolnshire County Council’s highways department.

The plans are due to include a sandwich shop, drive-thru coffee shop, petrol filling station and electric vehicle charging points.

Last week residents told the Free Press that is was a ‘road traffic death waiting to happen’ and labelled it a ‘monstrosity’.

l Coun David Kempton will continue on as chairman of the authority for another year. His vice chairman will be Graham Searle.

l Coun Kempton said he hoped that the ambition for a new cemetery for Crowland could be ‘moved to the planning stage’ after several years ‘on the back burner’.

l Last week’s meeting
began with a minute’s silence to former councillor Jim Speechley, who died recently.

l Stopping up orders have been agreed for Barbers Drove South and St James Bridge – roads impacted by the new A16.

l Members criticised the Government for putting them into an awkward position over future meetings.

The council will not be able to meet again virtually, after legislation that has allowed them to do so during the pandemic expired.

However, until June 21 at the earliest, regulations will not allow more than six people to gather indoors.

Coun Kempton said: “At the moment, Her Majesty’s Government has given us an impossible situation where, whatever we do we break the law. It’s not just us, it’s all the councils.”

Crowland Abbey, the Methodist Church and sports hall were all mentioned as potential venues.

l Coun Cathi Elphee celebrated the return of Crowland’s red telephone box - and the project to successfully unearth the Buffalo amphibious vehicle.

She said it had ‘put Crowland on the map’ and explained that there was a plan to establish a museum for the Buffalo.