Major affordable housing development approved in Claypole

Plans for a major development of affordable housing in a village have been approved.

A proposal for the construction of 16 affordable dwellings in Claypole was passed at a South Kesteven District Council planning meeting on Thursday.

Despite opposition from Claypole Parish Council and concerns from councillors on the committee, the plans were recommended for approval by planning officers, and the motion was passed with seven councillors voting in favour and two against.

The development is set to be built on a 0.6 hectare site to the north of Doddington Lane with properties from Moore Close adjoining the land to the west.

The 16 houses will be a mixture of two-storey semi-detached and short terrace properties, along with two pairs of semi-detached bungalows. Nine of the properties are proposed to be shared ownership and seven affordable rent.

The planning report states that evidence of a need for affordable housing in the area had been demonstrated, but councillors questioned the need for affordable housing in Claypole.

Councillor Paul Woods spoke against the application, pointing out that the site was not included in SKDC's local plan for development.

He said: “In my view there are several issues about the application that give me cause for concern, and also give the residents of Claypole concerns.

“I think the reasons for approval are more related to the strategic needs of SKDC. When considering sites that aren’t in the local plan, I think greater priority should be given to local needs.

“Claypole was not deemed suitable for a major development. This is a major development.

“If housing needs are identified in, say Stamford or the Deepings, then in my view, it is not acceptable to satisfy those needs by building dwellings in Claypole, some 40 miles away just to produce a statistical result.

“We need to be building the properties where they’re wanted."

John Freeman, chair of Claypole Parish Council, prepared 33 pages of "detailed evidence" in opposition to the plan and noted that “the community is positively opposed to this development".

He said: “The parish council presentation gave a clear analysis of how this application is inconsistent with the plan on many grounds.

“You build affordable homes where there are jobs, transport and services, you don’t stick them in a small village in the far northwest corner of the district. That’s a betrayal of the communities around Grantham, Bourne, the larger towns and villages that actually need these properties.

Councillor Penny Milnes said that the application "worried" her, as she questioned the scale of the local need for affordable housing in Claypole and raised the issue of rural isolation.

She said: “I believe that unless we look at these schemes very carefully, there is a threat to these smaller villages in the local plan. They are smaller villages for a reason.”

Councillor Nick Robins also raised concerns about further developments on adjacent fields in the future.

After much debate, Coun Robert Reid made the proposal to accept the officer's recommendations, which was seconded by Coun Robins.