Proposed Housing Development at Former Tennyson School Site

If approved, Planning Application N/110/00286/24 submitted by Gleeson Homes, will have implications for the whole of Mablethorpe, Sutton-on-Sea and Trusthorpe.  Precedents will be set and future similar applications could be coming to a site near you!

COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSAL AS A WHOLE:

1. This is a speculative application, whereby the applicant is not yet the owner of the land.  It is SOLD STC, with the likelihood that this is a conditional offer, subject to planning permission being granted.
2. The residential units proposed on the ELDC Application for Planning form are “Market Housing”.  This is at variance with the Planning Statement 5586177 document that “seeks to deliver a scheme of affordable housing, reflective of market demand”.  Confusion is further compounded in the Design & Access Statement, which promises that the development will “bring forward low-cost market housing”.  Clarification is required prior to a decision being made.
3. The Planning Statement attempts to discredit the ELDC Core Strategy Local Plan, which is over 5 years old, and argues that its objectives should no longer be given weight.  The Strategy covers a time period through to 2031 and is only halfway through its intended cycle.  Flood risks identified in the Strategy have not reduced in this timescale. Strategic Policy 18 (SP18) states “no more new market housing will be permitted in the coastal zone during the Plan period other than that set out in paragraphs 3, 4, 5 6, 7 and criterion B1, B2 and B3”. 
4. To mitigate flood risk, applications N/110/01551/18 and N/110/00737/18 for adjacent two storey holiday accommodation dwellings were approved with a requirement for floor levels to be 1000mm above ground levels.  The applicant proposes just 300mm in the Flood Risk Assessment.  The actual amount is not shown on the plans.
5. The Sustainability Appraisal commentary is an interesting piece of creative writing and interpretation of ELDC’s sustainability objectives!
6. No evidence is presented to demonstrate “that the site is not viable for development for either a community, economic or leisure use”, as required by SP18.

NEGATIVE EFFECT ON AMENITY:

Anglian Water has commented only on its affected assets, wastewater treatment, used water and surface water disposal.  The impact of the increased demand on water supply is ignored.  There are approved applications for enlargement of caravan sites on Seaholme Road.  The supply in Mablethorpe & Sutton is already under significant pressure, especially during the late spring to autumn holiday season, witnessed by several days of outages due to burst mains or low pressure in late June 2024.  This development would add further to this problem.

OVERLOOKING, LOSS OF PRIVACY & OVERSHADOWING:

The separation distances from existing dwellings are provided but do not take account of which rooms will be overlooked.  For example, in the case of 24a Marian Avenue, it will be two ground floor bedrooms in a bungalow, which will be overlooked by three two-storey dwellings.  Part of the garden will also suffer loss of privacy. Two terraced houses in Marian Avenue will have a 7m high side elevation of Plot 2 just 11m from them.

OVERDEVELOPMENT:

With the exception of the older terrace of houses in Marian Avenue, the remaining dwellings in the locality are well-spaced bungalows with front gardens. A development of two-storey houses with minimal frontage and very close together, although contained in what is essentially a small estate, is out of character with the area.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:

Mablethorpe’s current infrastructure already struggles to cope, especially for core services such as doctors and dentists.

Since the opening of Tesco and B&M, Seaholme Road / Church Lane has become the preferred route from the south of the town, Trusthorpe and Sutton-on-Sea.  This development will increase traffic further. Exiting Marian Avenue safely can be challenging and there are already junctions with Harris Boulevard and Seacroft Road opposite and on either side of the proposed access to the development. The development will increase the number of junctions onto Seaholme Road to four within a 60m stretch.

Lincolnshire County Council has requested almost £600,000 to mitigate the impact on increased demand for secondary education caused by the development.  The money would be directed toward the Alford Secondary planning area but it is not indicated whether the receiving schools are willing to expand their capacity to take additional pupils.

The expiry date for making comments during the consultation period has been extended to 15th July.  Anyone is able to object or support the pplication online at https://publicaccess.e-lindsey.gov.uk/online-applications/ - just search for Seaholme Road in current applications.