Weston councillors and South Holland MP Sir John Hayes call for planners to be tougher on new housing proposals
Planners, highways chiefs and the water board need to be tougher on new housing proposals - according to the MP and concerned councillors.
At Weston’s Annual Parish Meeting on Monday night, MP Sir John Hayes joined councillors and discussed their concerns for developments in Weston and Weston Hills.
Parish councillors are worried about a 150-home plan for land between the High Road and A151 in Weston - which is due for a decision by the end of June.
They feel this and other developments will drastically alter the character of the parish. Their concerns follow similar worries about Pinchbeck, published in Tuesday’s Lincolnshire Free Press.
Sir John said the plans for Weston were ‘unacceptable’, adding: “We really musn’t allow the overdevelopment of our villages.”
He said it was ‘preposterous’ to build on green field sites in villages when brownfield sites such as the Bull & Monkie and former Johnson Hospital could be used.
He felt district councillors agreed with their concerns - but that planning officers tell them they have to accept plans and that the threat of legal action from developers looms.
Sir John said new Government rules will demand higher standards of new build properties. He added: “It’s up to the council to be extremely tough on anything that comes forward. I will back you 100% on that.”
The MP said he had challenged Anglian Water to be ‘more robust’ over planning applications and that developments should only take place if drainage - a big issue in Weston Hills - is properly addressed.
He added that people ‘don’t get a lot out of’ the county council’s highways department on new developments either, despite common concerns from motorists about the ability of roads to cope with increased traffic.
Coun Anthony Casson also criticised Anglian Water for not speaking up more about drainage issues. He said: “With every application that comes to Anglian Water , their comment is ‘it’s adequate’. We all know it’s not adequate but they never do anything about it.
“The planning committee can’t turn down on those grounds if Anglian Water say it’s adequate.”
l Councillors are pushing for a speed limit reduction from 40mph to 30mph on Austendyke Road.
l The graffiti artist who produced the ‘Captain Tom’ artwork in Spalding is being approached to come up with designs for Weston Hills play area. Karl Barfoot is coming up with designs and quotes.
There is £11,000 to spend on equipment for the site and Coun Janet Bellamy hopes to progress work now lockdown measures are easing.
l Work will be carried out to fix Weston Hills Village Hall floor.
Heavy rain over Christmas caused sewerage problems at the facility and, at Monday’s meeting Coun Anthony Casson explained that there’s a 17-inch cavity under the floor that needs fixing.
The hall will reopen as a polling station on May 6, but with an area fenced off for safety.
A concrete floor will then be laid and the hall could reopen at the end of June - before a new wooden floor is installed later in the year.
Coun Casson said: “It’s a massive job and a huge expense but hopefully that will put it right once and for all.”
l PC Paul Freeman told councillors there had been a quiet month of crime in the parish.
There were four incidents in Weston - a Covid rules breach, a disqualified driver, a road traffic collision and a ‘suspicious circumstances’ report that he was going to look into further.
In Weston Hills, there was a theft from a motor vehicle.
He said the policing priority for the area for April to June is road safety and speeding around schools.