We're facing a decade of misery - residents: 265 Langton Hill homes could take ten years to complete

Developers Gladman secured outline planning permission for ‘up to’ 300 homes at Langton Hill last December after winning an appeal against East Lindsey District Council.

The authority’s planners had originally backed residents in their campaign against the development.

Now, Grimsby-based Cyden Homes Ltd have submitted an application to ELDC for 265 dwellings at the site.

At a meeting of Horncastle Town Council’s planning committee on Monday evening, around 50 residents heard Cyden’s technical director David Logan say the development could take ten years to complete.

Mr Logan said the compnay had agreed a deal with Gladman to buy sections of land over the next decade.

However, he said that although a contract had been agreed, the deal was dependent on securing detailed planning permission.

Mr Logan confirmed Cyden intended to develop the entire site but their plan was to build and market around 25 homes a year.

One resident told Mr Logan: “That is the worst possible news. That means ten years of disruption, ten years of dust and ten years of dirt.

“That’s not fair. What quality of life are we going to have?”

Mr Logan said he understood the concerns of residents - and the Town Council.

However, he insisted he could not comment on the circumstances of the decision to award outline permission because his company was not involved in the process at the time.

He stressed approval had been by ‘an independent inspector’ who had studied ‘all the evidence.’

Mr Logan 
accepted the inspector had included a raft of conditions in his ruling which effectively means Cyden Homes will have to meet various requirements before work can start.

The conditions cover things like access and drainage.

Several residents raised concerns that Osborne Way would be used as the main access route - including HGV traffic involved in the actual building process.

Mr Logan promised the company would look at the plans for access.

He stressed regulations were also in place regarding the hours work was allowed to take place.

Planning committee chairman Coun Brian Burbidge asked whether Cyden Homes would could consider making a £500 ‘donation’ to the town for every sold home because of failings in initial Section 106 applications for the development.

Coun Burbidge said the NHS had failed to attend the appeal hearing so no award for funding to improve the town’s health services had been made.

Councillors - and residents - also raised doubts about the proposed drainage plans.