Executive homes can be built in Wimblington despite concerns about overdevelopment

A developer has been told it can build new “executive” homes in Wimblington, despite some raising “overdevelopment” concerns.

Fenland District Council has approved outline plans to build 16 new homes on land off Bridge Lane.

The developer, MJS Acquisitions (March) Ltd, said it would create “executive homes” with large gardens and space for multiple cars.

The proposals were considered by councillors at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday.

A letter sent to the committee from the developer said: “The addition of 16 new homes is expected to bring positive benefits not just to the immediate area, but also to the broader community, due to the diverse range of people who might choose to purchase these homes.

“It is my understanding that the planning committee is pro-growth and opportunity and as such I feel the already substantial contribution, the redevelopment of a brownfield site and the significant highways upgrades I am offering should be more than enough consideration to allow a prestigious development, such as the one intended, be allowed to happen.”

However, some people in the village raised concerns about the application. A total of 23 formal objections were lodged against the plans.

Some said they believed the proposed development would be “out of character” with the area and raised concerns it would lead to an “overdevelopment” of the site.

It was also claimed that a covenant had been placed on the land, which created a restriction that no more than 10 homes could be built on the site.

Wimblington Parish Council also objected to the development, highlighting that several previous applications to build there had been refused. The district council refused to give permission for plans to build 20 new homes at the site in 2015.

It subsequently also refused an application to build 10 homes at the site. In 2018, an outline application to build up to seven homes was approved. However, this permission has now lapsed.

The parish council said: “Wimblington village is reaching, if not exceeding, its proposed commitment to growth of local housing, it has had a good proportionate growth over the past decade, a housing needs assessment highlights that within this neighbourhood there is a need for affordable smaller properties, rather than four, five, six bedroom detached properties.

“This application is a large-scale, in-depth development in a rural environment and would have an adverse impact on the character and appearance of the area.

“Bridge Lane is of a rural setting and as such should be protected from uncharacteristic design that is not in keeping with the natural heritage and history of the surrounding settlement.

“This proposal significantly and demonstrably outweighs its benefit, it is not sustainable. Village amenities, facilities, local transportation and infrastructure are struggling to cope with the present rate of growth.”

Planning officers at the district council said the situation had changed since the previous plans to develop the site were refused.

They explained that the applications had been refused on the grounds that the site lay outside the core settlement of the village and in open countryside.

However, they highlighted that since then, other developments for new homes had been approved and were being built nearby.

Officers said this “significantly altered the character of the surrounding area”, adding that the principle of building new homes on the site was now considered acceptable.

Cllr Elisabeth Sennitt Clough questioned officers about the issue of the covenant on the land that had been raised.

Officers said a covenant was not a material planning consideration and said it would be a separate legal situation for whoever imposed the covenant to deal with.

Cllr Roy Gerstner said he believed the proposed development was an “ideal opportunity” to build new homes on a brownfield site.

He said: “We should be building on brownfield sites and not on greenfield sites.”

The committee agreed unanimously to approve the plans.

As an outline application, more detailed plans for the new homes will need to be submitted and approved by the district council before they can be built.