The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
I’m pleased to see that the Holbeach Peppermint Junction is now open at last and hope it will reduce heavy traffic through the town.
Part of the price for this work was the development of a huge new housing estate and industrial area nearby.
There is the possibility the commercial aspect of the site will attract new jobs and if we have to accept new homes, it’s not a bad place to put them but no single development can be taken in isolation.
Government policy is to “encourage”, which actually means force, the building of as many houses as possible.
There seems to be little regard as to where they are actually needed and none whatsoever to the views of local residents.
Developers can be more or less sure that they will gain planning permission provided their application complies with technical rules and there is no objection from a statutory body (which, like the highways departments are usually controlled by higher councils and in this county thus by the party of government).
I do have some sympathy for district planning committees, if they reject an application an appeal is more or less guaranteed and councils usually lose, which can cost ratepayers money.
A change in government policy is required. One size fits all does not work.
Residents and local parish councils, who are close to and understand the problems best, are ignored. So are older town plans.
The number of houses recently built or proposed in Holbeach is approaching 3,000 and I doubt we have finished yet.
This is enough to double our population and it should be clear to any reasonable person that this will have a huge impact on local services and infrastructure.
I have no idea where so many people will find work, certainly not all at the Peppermint Junction complex.
We have as much a population problem as a housing one and it’s high time Government acknowledged that.
It’s one of the reasons why we voted to leave the EU.
We do need more dwellings, especially social housing and improved provision for the low paid and homeless but not so many market price homes.
Residents affected by these developments need to lobby their representatives to ensure that building is actually required in their area, that all 106 funds from developers are spent locally, not just somewhere vaguely nearby or to subsidise district and county budgets and that plans are prepared to cope with increased numbers of residents. This is essential.
We need to call for a full and accurate accounting of all 106 monies and where they are spent and I will be doing just that.
Paul Foyster
South Holland district councillor
Holbeach Town Ward
