The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A developer wants to add 27 extra homes to a new housing estate where trees will be planted in a ‘generous gesture’.
The new homes would be added to the development at Wignals Wood, Holbeach, and would bring the total number of new homes to 104 if approved.
A design and access statement submitted to South Holland District Council outlines the extended development.
It says there is a “significant shortfall of over 46ha (113 acres) of natural and semi-natural green space in Holbeach. There is also a shortfall of 1.5ha (3.7acres) of amenity green space and a 0.4ha (0.9 acres) shortfall of provision for children and young people.
“The submitted proposals go some way in contributing to this shortfall by offering a significant area of open space provision and woodland, 2.9ha (7.1acres) in total, tailored to addressing this shortfall in Holbeach.”
Alongside the open space would be the additional 27 homes.
“This current application, combined with the previous reserved matters site dedicates 35 per cent of the site to public open space/woodland (with the remaining 65 per cent as roads and built environment).
“This is an extremely generous gesture by the applicant to dedicate such a high percentage of the total site for public open space/woodland.”
The submitted application is for 36 dwellings, with nine previously approved but needing changes.
The applicant, Loosegate Developments, would also gain 27 new properties.
“This area has one of the lowest rates of woodland in the country and the council are looking to redress that. At the time (2018) Lord Porter explained that they had already been in discussion with developers and land owners about providing spaces in each South Holland settlement where a new wood could be created,” says the document.
“The previous scheme approved under reserved matters dedicated 20 per cent of the site to public open space. At that time the SHDC minimum requirement was to provide 14 per cent public open space,” the document adds.
The site is an extension of the approved reserved matters and the general road layout is roughly the same.
The site extends south with the open space and wood occupying the southernmost part.
“The dwellings extend south and wrap around the main open space area giving a sense of enclosure and security,” says the application submitted this week.
