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Decision made on plan for another 80 homes near ‘tin of sardines’ Humberston housing estate
A decision has been made on outline permission for 80 more homes in Humberston.
The 80 extra homes would have effectively added to an existing housing development being built by Persimmon Homes, known as Millennium Farm. That will already have 385, when fully completed.
Councillors followed planning officers’ recommendation to refuse the 80 more homes. It was proposed by S&M Hewson. They used to own the whole site known as Millennium Park, but sold the part that has been developed to Persimmon.
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It appeared before North East Lincolnshire Council’s planning committee due to the number of comments objecting to it. There were more than 150 comments made by members of the public, the majority residents or buyers of homes in Millennium Farm.
An Albertross Drive objector typifies many of the comments of Millennium Farm residents. “We purchased the property with the understanding that the final stages of the site were underway and the land at the back would need to be kept untouched due to the disturbance of wildlife?
“I’m sure everyone onsite are looking forward to the end of the traffic, general chaos and mess caused by the remaining builds.” In 2014, initial permission was granted on appeal for 385 homes and a school across Millennium Farm and the area where the 80 homes have been rejected.
But this got revised when full permission was successfully sought to just the Millennium Farm site. There was also no school, as the council as the education authority did not view one as needed.
The design of the final set of houses ensured they faced out to open green space. Consequently, they mark the edge of the village’s development boundary.
A Fairway Drive resident did not want four more years of building dust and added in their objection: “It’s like a tin of sardines as it stands with the houses crammed in so why any more?”
The 80 new homes put forward included public open space, children’s play equipment and swales and ponds for drainage. The homes would have been a mixture of two to four beds and apartments. When Millennium Farm was sold, S&M Hewson required Persimmon to build two link roads from Humberston Avenue to the southern land it kept.
The irony of objections to more homes from residents of a new development was not lost on another Albertross Drive objector. “We appreciate the irony of objecting any further developments being built when we are living in a new build property but the reason we bought the property was that we were directly told no further properties would be built after this development was completed.”
He was not the only Millennium Farm home purchaser to assert that assurances of no more homes being built had been made. “It’s not allocated for housing and we are not in a situation now of not having a five year supply,” a planning officer told councillors.
When a five year housing supply can be shown, applications outside development boundaries typically get rejected. Visual intrusion into open countryside, and concerns about ecology, amenity and drainage were other reasons the 80 homes were recommended refusal.
“Humberston and New Waltham ward councillors are conscience of the volume of objections,” said Cllr Stephen Harness, speaking on behalf of residents. “The infrastructure issues raised within the objections are real and therefore must be addressed in the future,” he added of concerns about the completion of Millennium Park.
“Thank goodness we’re over the five year supply,” said Cllr Hayden Dawkins, who added, “We’re struggling for school places in Humberston”.
“When will enough be enough?” decried Cllr David Hasthorpe of housebuilds in the Humberston area. “The negatives on this way outweigh the positives.”
No-one on the planning committee disagreed and it was unanimously rejected.
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