South Kesteven District Council planning committee approve plans for Kyoto Futons Ltd to build warehouse with showroom space and 13 employment units in Hards Lane, Frognall

Plans to build a warehouse with a showroom, which would create a number of new jobs, have been supported by councillors.

The sofa and mattress manufacturer, Kyoto Futons Ltd, applied to South Kesteven District Council for permission to build a warehouse with showroom space and 13 small employment units in Hards Lane, Frognall.

At a South Kesteven District Council planning committee meeting on Thursday last week (June 4), plans were put in front of councillors for the site near the existing Kyoto Futons building.

A public speaker read a statement to councillors on behalf of Nick Cancea, a director of Kyoto Futons.

They said: "We are looking to increase our business by 20 per cent this year which will lead to additional staff.

"We have just employed additional members in the office and are currently interviewing for factory staff.

"We would hope to see this number rise again over the next 12 months for three or four additional staff for Kyoto Futons."

The business is also looking to link up with schools and colleges in the area to provide apprenticeship opportunities.

Heritage Lincolnshire believes the site offers a potential for archaeological remains to be present based on the extent and type of remains recorded in the vicinity.

The developer would be required to commission a Scheme of Archaeological Work, in the form of an archaeological evaluation, consisting of trial trenching, to determine the presence, character and date of any archaeological deposits present at the site.

Coun Harrish Bisnauthsing (Lib Dem - Stamford St. Mary's) called for a deeper investigation to find out more about the past history, rather than just the trenching.

Chirs Brown, planning officer, explained it is 'standard wording' and considered to be a suitable method by Heritage Lincolnshire.

Coun Jacky Smith (Con - Grantham St. Wulfram's) added: "We do lose a lot of our knowledge by not perhaps being specific enough about what we would like to know or what they perhaps advice through Heritage Lincolnshire.

"There is an awful lot of sites in Lincolnshire we don't find anything about until someone has dug them up and disposed of them.

"Can we be more specific on Heritage Lincolnshire?"

Coun Helen Crawford (Con - Bourne West) reminded councillors that Heritage England is the expert.

Coun Ian Selby (Unaligned - Grantham Harrowby) said: "I'm delighted to hear about the jobs this is going to create. I'm happy to propose the recommendation."

Coun Bisnauthsing seconded the proposal, which gained unanimous support from councillors.