Pippa’s Pantry owner describes Franklin Bros Limited amended plans for mobile asphalt plant at Greenworld Park in Sutton Bridge as ‘ludicrous’

An owner of a popular village café is ‘ready to throw in the towel and move abroad’ should ‘ludicrous’ plans for an industrial plant be given the green light.

Pippa Jones has run Pippa’s Pantry for more than five years and has concerns about proposals by Franklin Bros Limited for a semi-mobile asphalt plant site at Greenworld Park in Sutton Bridge, located close to the A17.

Originally plans for the facility, within the existing Nene Transport (Lincs) Ltd depot site, were submitted to South Holland District Council in June and proposed amendments have now been added to the application - which residents have had an opportunity to oppose. The plans look set be put to the planning committee in the new year.

Mrs Jones said: “It is ludicrous that they are looking to put it in there and I would seriously think about throwing in the towel.

“Usually these are in old quarries miles away from residents and without a shadow of a doubt it will cover everything in black soot.

“We will be back to where nobody will want to stop in Sutton Bridge again and it definitely makes me want to move abroad.”

Customers can dine outside the pantry and Mrs Jones feels that noise, pollution and heavy traffic that could come from the plans will negatively affect her business particularly during the summer.

She said: “We finally got our al fresco dining outside and a community who want to work together after a long time - so why dump that in the middle of it?

“There are many of us who are trying to make the village look nice - the gateway to Lincolnshire and the coastal pathway - no one will want to walk it.

“There will be lorries trundling through - it will stink so I will have to keep the door shut. I have put my objections in.”

Mrs Jones feels strongly enough to sell her house, close the pantry and move abroad.

She added: “I feel I will lose everything that we have worked for and built up by welcoming people passing through in the last five years.

“If the wind blows your way you will smell it , and hear it too, with more lorries that are not supposed to come through the village.

“It feels like every single bit of nice stuff that we have got in Sutton Bridge will be taken away.”

Another concern Mrs Jones has is that the site could potentially lower the value of properties in the area.

She said: “It will be an eyesore - a great big tower chuffing out smoke.

“It could affect elderly people with respiratory conditions and the new builds - where will all the dirty water go?

“All the emails have been sent to object and that is all we can do but I feel they will do it regardless.”

Sir John Hayes, MP for South Holland and The Deepings, held a public meeting about the plans back in July to hear residents’ concerns.

He has himself sent a letter of objection - ahead of the deadline of November 14 for the second round of protests - and is calling for a full environmental impact assessment.

He said: “We are opposing it tooth and nail and working closely with the objectors in Sutton Bridge and I am an enthusiastic advocate for Pippa’s Pantry.

“It has lots of different ramifications in a residential area being near the sports and children's play area.

“It’s physical presence - a large ugly development - is completely unsuitable and the environmental effects are many. The marsh off the coast is a very precious landscape.”

Resident Craig Jackson has campaigned against incinerators in the past and is opposed to this project and the impacts on the environment.

He said: “This particular application for a proposed asphalt plant would be damaging to the air quality of local residents.

“I am very concerned that there is no environmental assessment with it as it could impact on the wider Wash area which is an area of special scientific interest.

“If the environmental assessment is not brought forward we could take it to court to challenge it.”

The amended plans from Franklin Bros Ltd state there have been ‘minor alterations to proposed plant and associated update to air quality and odour assessment' and their agent Robert Doughty Consultancy has been contacted for comment.

A spokesman from South Holland District Council said: “This application does not meet the required criteria to need an Environmental Impact Assessment.

“It is still a live application and is currently expected to be reported to the Planning Committee in January 2025.”

Find out about planning applications that affect you at the Public Notice Portal https://publicnoticeportal.uk/

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below…