South Holland's future homes and jobs but at what cost?
A £5billion fund so we can "build, build, build" to kick-start our struggling economy and provide desperately needed homes and jobs is good news for many.
But the Government cash comes with a radical overhaul to England's planning system to speed-up consents, leaving some fearing for the future of our towns and villages.
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick says homes and hospitals will get "automatic" consent with "permission in principle" given to developments on pre-designated land.
Land will fit into three categories: "for renewal" (to include homes) "for growth" (such as school or hospital sites) and "for protection" (important green spaces).
Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Jenrick said: "We are cutting red tape, but not standards."
Mr Jenrick hopes to see beautiful homes built and says one aim is to draw on the inspiration that built the city of Bath, the Bournville model village and London's affluent district of Belgravia.
But the influential Local Goverment Association says the Government's own independent report warned about the "worse quality of homes" not delivered through the planning system.
South Holland's planning committee chairman Roger Gambba-Jones has warned about "communities being destroyed" without planning departments asserting a degree of control.
There are also fears that people may build on unsuitable plots in back gardens - and that green spaces will be swallowed up and further pressure will be piled upon already inadequate infrastructure.
Full details of the Government plans have not yet been published, although it's said the public will be consulted on what constitutes brownfield (previously developed) and greenfield (new) sites.
Coun Gambba-Jones says the district council already has a register of brownfield sites and the area is fortunate enough to have a Local Plan, a blueprint for future growth.
He said: "The Government has said 'automatic' permission, now that is a terrifying prospect because of the number of corrections we as councillors have to make when these proposals (planning applications) come forward.
"Councillor Bryan Alcock is extremely vigilant at spotting where parking is located on proposed layouts - sometimes it's outside somebody else's front door - and we will no longer have control over that now.
"This is going to be a nightmare everywhere in the country but particularly where land values are very, very high.
"It is going to be unfortunate for anybody who is in a location which is attractive to those who want to live in that area and can see an opportunity to develop.
"Somewhere in the middle there's a need to have a degree of control and an understanding on how to manage development so it doesn't destroy communities, doesn't overwhelm them.
"I don't think this (Government) document does that. It's not listening to what people are telling the Government in their dash for boxes (houses) or what they are jokingly calling 'beautiful homes'.
"We are fortunate in South Holland that we have a relatively up to date Local Plan and have identified where housing growth and increased job opportunities should be focussed.
"Those who have brought forward these areas now need to ensure that they deliver them, otherwise we are in danger of seeing other speculative applications coming forward in locations that our communities are currently unaware of and unlikely to support."
Coun Gambba-Jones says he's in broad agreement with the chairman of the Local Government Association, who has urged the Government not to sideline the planning process.
He also supports the stance of the District Councils' Network (DCN), who say the Government should not compromise on the quality of new homes or shove public consultation aside.
The DCN believes councils should be given cash to invest in infrastructure and to build quality and affordable homes that are green.
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Jenrick plans: visionary or disastrous?
Disregarding decades of the evolving planning system could prove to be visionary or disastrous, according the the head of the Weston Hills based Broadgate Group, Ian Canham.
Mr Canham said: "Obviously the devil will be in the detail and until the law is actually passed we often find that the headline changes announced are gently dropped from the final draft.
"What is certain though is that there is no one factor that slows down development, whether housing or commercial; there are times where the planning process is painfully slow but equally sometimes the financial demands made by statutory consultees and local authorities with regard to new developments make them unviable to start and result in lengthy viability arguments.
"We should be clear, most planning legislation is written to protect the safety and the integrity of the public realm; disregarding decades of this evolving system may eventually be seen to be visionary or equally could be seen to be disastrous ... only time will tell.
"One thing is certain though, major investment in infrastructure and investment in good quality affordable housing plus an extension of the current Help to Buy Scheme would help create growth in housing."
Worried about our villages
District councillor Jane King is worried about the impact of Robert Jenrick's proposals on all our villages, not just her home patch in Donington where infrastructure is already tested to the limit.
Coun King said: "In Donington our schools are oversubscribed, we have no doctors, no dentists, we have probably got an inadequate drainage system and can the roads take the weight of more traffic?
"It's worrying that people are perhaps going to find a parcel of land and stick up whatever they like.
"I am also worried that we may end up with no green spaces at all and that people will allow houses to go up in their back gardens.
"One news report said we could end up with lots of slums. While we have reputable and long established builders in South Holland, we could end up with less responsible people trying to build and these are unlikely to be quality homes."
County council wants to see quality green homes
Lincolnshire County Council wants to see quality homes coming forward and local people to have a say in developments.
Neil McBride, the county's head of planning said: "Although there are already areas set out for development in Lincolnshire which we have worked with district councils to determine, we are looking at the details of the new Government proposals coming forward to see what they may mean for our area.
"We join the Government in recognising the need for new houses to meet the increasing demand, ensuring they are of good quality and have full environmental considerations, but that local people also have their say in determining where they should be built."
Local Government Association chairman Coun James Jamieson said councils are committed to ensuring new homes are built and communities have quality homes in which to live.
Responding to the Government’s ‘Planning for the Future’ proposals to overhaul the planning system, Coun Jamieson says it is vital that new homes are delivered "through a locally-led planning system with public participation at its heart".
Coun Jamieson said communities should have "the power to ensure new developments are of a high standard, built in the right places, and include affordable homes".
He continued: "We also need to ensure that new homes are supported by new funding for community infrastructure such as schools, playgrounds and roads."