The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Controversial plans to create a residential gypsy/traveller site in Whaplode are recommended to be passed by planners.
The application for the four berth site at Bleu Raye Farm on Millgate was deferred by South Holland District Council’s Planning Committee in February to request more information.
It will now be decided next Wednesday as the authority holds its first online Planning Committee meeting.
The application has proved controversial as a previous bid for one dwelling on the site was refused in 2016 on the grounds that the site is unsuitable for development due to its distance from facilities and public transport.
A number of members of the public have objected to the proposal as has Whaplode Parish Council and ward councillor Allan Beal.
He said: “I wish to register my previous objections to this application as I fail to understand how a site can be unsustainable for one single family residential dwelling but then becomes sustainable for four families with the associated buildings and likely business.”
A representation from Whaplode Parish Council states: “The view from Whaplode Parish Council is and always will be that the site is unsustainable in this location from any form of residential development.
“These cosmetic proposals do not change our objections around access, sustainability and lack of services.”
However planning officers have again recommended the application be passed stating the application meets current planning laws and states that the South Lincolnshire Local Plan states there’s an “unmet need for additional gypsy/traveller residential accommodation” in the area.
The meeting will be broadcast on South Holland District Council’s Facebook page on Wednesday, June 24.
