The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Plans for holiday lodges and a yoga retreat in a South Holland village have been refused by planners.
The application will see five new lodges, a retreat studio and a Japanese-style water garden on agricultural land in Tydd Gote.
Members of South Holland District Council’s planning committee discussed the plans at a meeting yesterday (Wednesday).
Despite a range of objections from Tydd Parish Council ranging from light pollution to highways issues, the proposal was recommended for approval.
Resident Richard Wright told the committee: “I represent a large number of residents.
“There’s already been two fatalities on Station Road which is already busy.
“There’s no access to the site except a small one that has a bottleneck of 4.1 metres at its narrowest point.
“There’s no amenities in the village and very little public transport, so there’s no benefit from tourism.
“It’s not suitable for the location.”
Councillors raised objections with regards to the access despite Lincolnshire County Council’s Highways department saying it was happy due to a passing point being included in the plans.
Coun Chris Brewis said: “We should ask county to look at this again as they can’t seriously have considered this.
“I can think of very few sites less suitable than this one.”
Coun Andrew Tennnant said: “You look at the access and the width of that driveway isn’t sufficient for the number of vehicle movements that this planning application is offering.
“We’re not talking about one residency; we’re talking about yoga classes, five bungalows with two cars.
“It’s a shame because I’d have no objection to the lodges in a fantastic rural setting.”
Some councillors argued for a deferral, though planning officers said it would be unlikely Highways would change their decision. It was rejected on the basis the access would have issues for local neighbours, even with one of the neighbours being the applicant.
Coun Paul Redgate said: “If the developer comes back with something more suitable in terms of access to the site, there’s something to be done there.”
Speaking on behalf of the applicant before the refusal, the agent for the applicant Liam Lunn-Towler: “This will provide an opportunity for a peaceful nature retreat in a rural area.
“There’s conditions that will limit the impact on local neighbours.
“It will be of benefit for the wider community who can use it.
“Furthermore it will provide tourism to benefit the rural economy.”
