Fiskerton fury

There are fears that a Lincoln village is becoming over-populated, after plans have been submitted for a new development in Fiskerton, Lincoln.

The development, proposed for a site to the east of the village on Ferry Road, would consist of 560 square metres of office space, a children’s creche and 20 new homes.

The site was formerly the Tanya Knitwear factory, which closed in December 2006.

Simon Sharp, an estate agent for JH Walter who have put forward the plans on behalf of Fiskerton Development, said: “I’m firmly of the opinion that it’s in people’s interest to see the site redeveloped, because it’s on one of the entrances to the village, and it’s a vacant site which can provide some meaningful employment.”

“We have reached out to the village in very robust ways” he said. “A public consultation on July 13, 2017, showed overwhelming support from those who attended. We’d be really disappointed if the council refused permission, given how we have worked with the community and the parish to get to where we are.”

Christopher Darcel, a councillor for the area, is supporting the plans. He said: “I think it would be a great improvement. At the minute it’s just a run-down old industrial site, so it would tidy that up nicely. I also think it would benefit the community by bringing people into the village who could take part in the parish council and other community activities.”

Mr Darcel also believes that an additional 20 houses could benefit the local primary school, which he says is too small to be viable. Fiskerton Church of England Primary School has been known to have a half year entry system, where two year groups are taught together in the same classroom. Mr Darcel said: “The village needs to do all it can to keep the school open, and these new homes will help towards that.”

However, not everybody in the village feels the same towards the plans. Ady Walker, who lives in the village with his family, said: “The village is being asked too much, this is one step too far. We already have a Neighbourhood Plan in place which proposes 200 new houses in the village, and this development on the Tanya site would be in addition to this.”

Mr Walker also expressed his concerns about what it would mean for the primary school, which his daughter attends. He said: “Yes, we have two years in one classroom, but there are no empty classrooms. With this development we can expect to see more children in the village, but the school is at its capacity.”

A planning committee at West Lindsey District Council will consider the plans in the new year and if approved, building is expected to begin in 2019.