A huge housing development on the cards for Kirton could be a “positive” move as long as the village’s needs are considered.
That’s the view of Kirton Parish Council chairman Alan Lee, who is keen to work with developer Lindum Homes to ensure the “right kind” of development is built to benefit the village.
Up to 140 new homes could be built off London Road, between the cemetery and Kirton Medical Centre.
A number of the properties would be classed as affordable housing and the developers say they will also create a new “open space”.
Coun Lee said he was quite “excited” about the news: “We as a parish council will make sure the village gets the benefits out of a housing development like this.
“We definitely need more two-bedroom bungalows in Kirton so we shall be speaking to the developers to see if they can include some of those.
“Businesses in the village would benefit, and I think the extra numbers would help to keep things like our library open.
“We will, of course, look to protect our existing cemetery down there.”
However, Mr Lee said 140 homes is “a lot” and stressed the need for the village’s infrastructure to be updated to cope with more people.
He said the parish council will request funding from the developers, as entitled under the Town and Country Planning Act of 1990, which would see them contributing towards the costs of additional infrastructure to accommodate the increased numbers of people as a result of a new development taking place.
“We would have preferred that the land on the old Case tractor site on London Road would have been developed before the Boston Road site as the London Road site is in a neglected state,” said Mr Lee. “But this is owned by another developer. We will keep trying to get this site started.
“Kirton is a vibrant place. Any new development should bring extra trade to the shops and businesses here.”
Residents can see the plans and have their say on the development at a public exhibition today (Thursday), 4-8pm at Kirton Town Hall. Representatives from Lindum Homes will be on hand to answer questions.