A Travellers’ site will be refused on noise and funding grounds.
South Kesteven District Council’s planning committee originally said they were minded to refuse the Meadow View Gypsy and Traveller site in Foston for the second time in March.
Yesterday (Thursday, April 18), councillors agreed with officers that noise from A1 traffic would harm residential amenity and that the development failed to provide suitable living conditions.
They also noted the applicant had failed to enter into a planning obligation to secure the necessary financial contributions to healthcare required to support the development.
Penny Milnes described the site noise as “extortionately high” and doubted the effectiveness of mitigation measures.
“They will be our residents and we have a duty to make sure they live in suitable accommodation,” she said.
“The noise could still spike there and there are still concerns of spikes inside those living quarters without opening windows, doors.
“We've got children living. We've got people who they say are ill living there and they have no proper amenity space because of this.”
However, two further reasons — air quality and proximity to services — were disregarded.
The council's environmental protection team accepted the findings of an air quality assessment and advised that there was not sufficient evidence.
Sustainability wasn't cited for the previous refusal, and officers saw no evidence for a different conclusion now.
Supporters at March’s meeting argued to address the district's shortage of traveller sites in the district, with the council identifying a need for 34 pitches between 2021 and 2041.
Despite acknowledging the need, councillors ultimately rejected the proposal, citing the importance of fair treatment for residents and the challenges of finding suitable locations for Traveller sites.
