Plan to scrap estate bridge put on hold

A decision on whether to cancel a bridge which would connect a housing estate to a town has been deferred by planners.

The developers, Norwich Hub and Buckminster Estates, applied to South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) to remove an obligation they were committed to when the Poplar Farm estate in Grantham was approved in 2011.

The bridge would allow residents access to shops, an NHS Community Diagnostic Centre and a tennis club at Great Gonerby without going through the town centre.

In reaching the outcome, members of SKDC's planning committee said they did not have enough information to make an informed decision.

As part of the planning conditions, the developers were required to build a bridge over the East Coast Mainline once 750 houses were built on the estate.

The development currently has 673 homes.

Planning officers had previously recommended removing the obligation, saying it would encourage the remaining housing to be built and boost the council's five-year housing land supply.

However, at a meeting on Thursday, a number of councillors voiced objections.

Councillor Matthew Bailey said: "Over a decade ago, the developer made a promise to the people of Grantham to build a bridge.

"They made that commitment. They built 673 homes and now they are back, not to honour that agreement, but to walk away from it. To betray the people of Grantham."

In a statement, Councillor Ben Green said planning conditions were not optional extras.

"The bridge was not an incidental feature. It formed part of the package of infrastructure that accompanied this development when permission was granted."

Development manager Darren Ridout, who spoke on behalf of the applicants, said the bridge had been agreed before the development of the Grantham Southern Relief Road, and argued it was no longer needed.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillors initially proposed to refuse the application, but the vote fell short.

Members then voted to defer the application until more information could be provided about the possible impact.

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