Plans to install CCTV at Spalding’s Ayscoughfee Hall and add French drain to war memorial to be discussed by planners

Plans to install CCTV coverage in then grounds of Spalding’s historic Ayscoughfee Hall are set to be discussed.

An application to install a French drain at the War Memorial on the site will also go before planners.

The proposal to site the camera and transformer box on a gate at the rear of the adjacent Ayscoughfee Gardens will be voted on by South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee on Wednesday (April 8).

Plans to install cameras within the grounds of Ayscoughfee Hall - a grade I-listed manor house which sits on approximately 5.5 acres of land, dating back to the 1450s - have previously been supported by SHDC deputy leader Coun Gary Taylor, saying ‘people playing by the rules are perfectly safe’.

Last year police revealed they were carrying out regular patrols of the public gardens following a spate of anti-social behaviour and vandalism, which included damage to public toilets.

“The wall which contains the gate which is the subject of this proposal runs along Love Lane and is dated from the late 18th century, although has been subject to much pathwork repair and rebuilding over time,” the planning officer’s report states.

The committee will also consider an application to install a French drain at the grade I-listed Spalding War Memorial, which was one of 58 memorials designed by architect Edwin Lutyens, including the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

A French drain, also known as a weeping tile, is a trench filled with gravel or rock that redirects water away from an area.

Council officers have recommended both applications put forward by SHDC be approved.