Planning Applications

Public Letter to ELDC re Local Plan

addlethorpe  parish  council

Clerk: Kerry Culley

56 Bridgeways, Alford,  Lincs LN13 9FA

telephone: 07713 103425

e-mail: addlethorpeparishcouncil@gmail.com

 

30 August 2022

 

Robert Barlow

The Chief Executive

ELDC

 

Cc. Mike Gildersleeves

Head of Planning

ELDC

 

Dear Mr Barlow,

 

Concerns of Addlethorpe Residents and Parish Council

 

Addlethorpe Parish Council and the residents of Addlethorpe are writing to request a public response as to why East Lindsey District Council have previously ignored their own Local Plan, the views of the residents and the Parish Council when deciding planning applications concerning the village. This is contrary to the stated vision in the Local Plan to “Know and understand [y]our community, and work in partnership with them.”

 

Over the past five to seven year period the residents of Addlethorpe have brought to Addlethorpe Parish Council worries and concerns about the growing development of caravan sites and the problems it brings to this small community. These are:

  1. The greatly increased traffic on narrow country roads without footpaths, resulting in serious safety concerns by residents.
  2. There are no facilities in the village for visitors, no shops or bus services  again adding  to increased traffic flow.
  3. The change to the nature of this long established community that many have grown to care deeply about.
  4.  Increased littering on roadsides in the village, some of the residents frequently collect litter to maintain the village but the problem grows annually and it’s growth is demoralising.
  5. A loss of privacy as sites are in close proximity with residential properties.
  6. Disruption caused through the development of these sites, as exampled by the current development of the golf course unloading larger static homes on narrow country roads frequently holding up residents. This has occurred regularly over the past three months.
  7. The village sits in a high risk flood area and continued development increases run off and the flood risk.
  8. On flooding residents find it difficult to comprehend that if you could not get planning permission for housing in an area because of flood concerns how can you then site 490 caravans on the site.
  9. The apparent disregard of ELDC Planning to the wishes of the community, exampled through ELDC’s own Local Plan and Addlethorpe Village Parish Plan.
  10. The sustainability of the village in its present form has been overstated by ELDC enabling planning applications to be approved that are too big for a small village.

 

The cumulative effect of these and other concerns are dispiriting for many in the community as they see their quality of life eroded and for many this affects mental wellbeing with the constant worry of what is coming next.

 

The Local Plan states that its first objective is for “A network of thriving, safer and healthy sustainable communities, where people can enjoy a high quality of life and an increased sense of well-being and where new development simultaneously addresses the needs of the economy, communities and the environment”  The Addlethorpe community’s sense of well-being has been greatly decreased under the onslaught of planning applications which are clearly unsustainable on this small, mainly agricultural, village with no facilities and no easy access to neighbouring villages for essential facilities.  All this is despite the commitments made in the Local Plan to: ” Protect and commit to improve essential community facilities in towns and villages.” and  “Ensure that infrastructure is capable of accommodating planned growth”

 

The Local Plan states at 8.7 “….the Council will support proposals where it is demonstrated that they have safe access to the nearest town, large or medium settlement with pedestrians and vehicles being segregated.”  This is clearly not the case in Addlethorpe where pedestrians have to face walking down narrow lanes with no footpaths and fast moving traffic.  This is despite objections from the villagers and parish council on these grounds.

 

The Local Plan also states “…in particular, the area between Ingoldmells and Addlethorpe will be protected from any further caravan development….”  yet ELDC has permitted caravan parks to be developed along the West side of the A52 so decreasing the space between the villages.  The Plan goes on to say that, for areas outside the protected area, the Council will “ensure that they do not spread beyond the edge of those settlements without the appropriate safeguards, such as additional landscaping, footpath connections…”  This again, has been ignored in past planning applications.

For all the above reasons, the Parish Council and the villagers of Addlethorpe require a commitment from East Lindsey District Council to take full account of their views and to abide by the provisions of the Local Plan in considering all future planning applications as well as all applications that are currently being considered by the planning department.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Name                           Signature                     Address

 

signed by 187 parishioners