The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Planning approval for a new house in a Spalding cul-de-sac has led neighbours to claim that town centre areas are being allowed to become overdeveloped.
Some residents in Knipe Avenue – a stone’s throw from St Thomas’s Road – are unhappy that their objections to the application were deemed irrelevant in planning terms.
Ward district councillors Graham Dark and Roger Perkins made representations too, claiming it was over-development of a quiet cul-de-sac and any increase in vehicular movements was unwelcome.
However, acting upon government guidelines, it was passed by South Holland District Council.
The plan is to build a house on to the side of a pair of existing semi-detached homes at the far end of the cul-de-sac. One garage in an existing block would be demolished to make way for the development.
Chris Mace, who has lived in the street for more than 20 years, believes allowing further development is a problem being replicated throughout the town centre.
He said: “It seems now that wherever there’s a piece of land, a house will be built on it.
“In Spring Gardens, new houses have been built on both sides.
“A lot of houses in our area are 200 years old and have no off-street parking.
“Many more properties are being built without enough regard to parking.”
Mr Mace says there is little room for vehicle manoeuvre in Knipe Avenue and has procured bollards to protect the frontage to his home.
Neighbour Jennifer Hemingway says the road is often congested with on-street parking, to the extent that cars park across the pavement. She fears that an emergency vehicle could be impeded.
The application was submitted by Mr B Bosworth. c/o 10 Green Lane. A recent application by C Bosworth, of the same address, for a house adjacent to 15 Green Lane was refused due to it being overdevelopment of the site and would cause unacceptable harm to neighbours’ living conditions.
Jon Sharpe, of Highways, was consulted and said he had no objection to there being no off-street parking as it was sufficiently close to town for the occupier to walk or cycle.
Mr Mace claimed the notion of a householder not having a car was nonsense.
District council planning committee chairman Coun Roger Gambba-Jones had sympathy with the residents, saying: “They won’t get any argument from councillors about their view. The problem is that planning legislation ties us in knots.
“Because it’s a town centre site Highways are relaxed about off-street parking.
“Without their support there’s little point in the council refusing the application only to lose it on appeal.
“They are acting on government guidance.”
