Thimbleby Parish Council carefully considered the planning application at its recent meeting and spent time ensuring its comments reflect its concerns for current and future residents.
Thimbleby Parish Council comments in respect of planning application reference 03438/25/OUT
Land Adjacent Hillside, Lincoln Road, Thimbleby. Lincolnshire
Planning Permission – Outline erection of up to 200 dwellings, with demolition of existing farm buildings, associated access, play area, public open space, landscaping and biodiversity enhancement ( with means of access to be considered).
Details about the plans can be found on the East Lindsey District Council website 03438/25/OUT | Outline erection of up to 200 dwellings, with demolition of existing farm buildings, associated access, play area,, public open space, landscaping and biodiversity enhancement (with means of access to be considered). | Land Adjacent Hillside Lincoln Road Thimbleby Lincolnshire
Thimbleby Parish Council is a statutory consultee for planning applications that fall within its parish or near to its boundaries. East Lindsey District Council is the Local Planning Authority and decides if a planning application will be approved or not.
Thimbleby Parish Council considered the planning application and resolved to OBJECT to this planning application on the following grounds after full debate. This decision and the following comments have been submitted to East Lindsey District Council.
Introduction
The Parish Council is aware from the pre-application consultation that this application is the first phase of a much bigger development that could potentially expand to 500 homes. The main site lies within Thimbleby Parish, outside the town boundary of Horncastle. The Parish Council requests that the planning authority recognise the scale and location of this development and assess it accordingly, particularly in relation to parish identity, settlement hierarchy, infrastructure capacity and extra pressures on schooling, health and social services which are already stretched to near breaking point, and the impact on the character of Thimbleby. Our tiny community currently comprises only 225 adults plus children – this application for 200 houses increasing potentially to 500 extra homes – will bring in 1000 new residents. It will completely change the identity of our parish and village.
Landscape, Environmental, Character and Visual Impact
This application is proposing to build on agricultural land to the north of the town of Horncastle. This will substantially expand the urban environment outside the current boundaries of the town into an undeveloped rural area.
The development would fundamentally alter the character of the approach to the historic market town of Horncastle from the north, and will significantly and negatively affect the views of the town from all directions.
The Parish Council request that a full Environmental Impact Assessment is carried out. We note that the Botanical Assessment was carried out in January, which would seem to be a poor time to get an idea of the situation, and we would ask that it, and all other Environmental Assessments be carried out repeatedly through the year.
Flooding and Drainage
Horncastle has a history of flooding. The proposed building land slopes down towards the residential properties on and around the area including Accommodation Road and Mark Avenue. Surface water run-off will increase due to concrete and tarmac laid over the current agricultural land. The most recent experiences following Storm Babet and Storm Henk have seen water rising out of road drains and overflowing from toilets in these properties. The Parish Council notes that existing drainage infrastructure is insufficient to cope with the volume, with blockages leading to sudden, uncontrolled overflows, causing flooding to residential properties, highlighting the inadequacy of proposed SUDs mitigation measures.
We note that there is no report from Anglian Water or local Drainage Boards relating to this application. We request that further investigation into this situation be considered. We refer to a recent application 03239/25/OUT relating to a Thimbleby Hill development (that was subsequently denied) where Anglian Water submitted that Horncastle Water Recycling Centre lacks capacity for that development of proposed 9 new dwellings, and yet this application, which would use the same recycling centre, is for 200 new homes!
Clear ongoing maintenance responsibility for any approved SUDs scheme is essential.
Highways, Traffic and Access
Access to the site off Lincoln Road is difficult and constrained, requiring substantial mitigation.
The number of vehicles using Lincoln Road, Accommodation Road and Thimbleby Road (formally known as Thimbleby Hill) and Horncastle Garden Centre is already high and will increase substantially so strong mitigation measures must be put in place to reduce risks for all road users and improve traffic flow. This first 200 house development will add perhaps 400 vehicles to the currently extremely busy road system, where at times, coastal traffic is known to back up all the way to the village of Baumber. The significant increase in vehicular movements will exacerbate existing traffic congestion in Horncastle.
The Parish Council requests that full formal traffic flow analyses are produced to measure current traffic movements along Lincoln Road and the junctions with Thimbleby Road (formerly Thimbleby Hill), Accommodation Road and Horncastle Garden Centre
There are only two access/egress points for the development which are very close together.
The limited access will be dangerously busy from the very start of the construction phase.
The roads and junctions are all on an incline, affecting braking distances downhill, and requiring acceleration uphill, and this can affect drivers’ ability to respond quickly. The Parish Council welcomed the recent extension of the 30mph zone along Lincoln Road and Thimbleby Road (formerly Thimbleby Hill) – this would need to be extended further north along Lincoln Road as far as Green Lane and beyond if this application was to be approved. Additional junctions, accesses, or exits will further compromise road safety along this heavily trafficked corridor.
The applicant’s Transport Plan identifies reported collisions at or near the proposed access points to the site with 5 collisions over 5 years, usually occurring during the day. A similar pattern emerges over the 10-year period. These collisions are occurring in existing conditions; adding more vehicles and junctions will only increase this risk further. Reports do not capture unreported collisions or near misses experienced by residents.
The limited traffic surveys produced cover a period 25/04/2025 to 01/05/2025 which is not the peak summer traffic period, and consequently, does not capture the scale of the problems effectively.
Were the local planning authority minded to approve this application, Thimbleby Parish Council request that the following conditions are applied :
Full traffic analysis completed with Lincolnshire County Council Highways, and consideration of a roundabout and pedestrian crossing on Lincoln Road; extension of the 30mph further north.
Accessible pavements and pedestrian crossings with tactile crossings with tactile surfaces along Lincoln Road and Accommodation Road to allow mobility scooters, adults with pushchairs and disabled residents to navigate pavements and cross roads safely.
Boundaries to be hedging wherever possible to preserve at least some natural habitat.
Section 106 Contributions – Community Infrastructure:
The Parish Council notes that, if passed, the proposed development could increase the settlement population, initially by 400 and potentially by over 1000 residents should applications be approved. This growth will place significant strain on existing social and community infrastructure. The Council therefore requests that, should the plans be approved, as a minimum, the following measures be secured through a Section 106 agreement to help to mitigate the impacts of the development.
All costs to include a 10% allowance for inflation, to reflect that implementation may not commence for at least two years.
Children’s play area and equipment (£66,000 - £132,000)
Defibrillators with appropriate housing connected to power supply (£4400 - £7200)
Benches high quality durable with ground fixings and installation (£6000)
Bus shelters- durable shelters with seating, timetable display and anti-vandal features at designated stops to encourage bus use (£17,600 - £33,000)
Community Centre- Multi purpose centre to support local activities within the development to support this new community’s social needs (£385,000 - £605,000)
Local churches in Thimbleby and Horncastle will require funding to enable them to be multi-functional for modern-day social needs.
Parish noticeboards- Wooden durable lockable board for Parish and community notices. (£1650 - £1980)
Dog/litter bins with 3 year servicing (£2200 - £4400)
Grit bins x 5 installed at key locations (£4,500)
Total Estimated S106 Contribution £487,350 - £794,080 ( plus inflation per annum)
The current infrastructure would be inadequate to cope with proposed population increase.
The small Church and village hall in Thimbleby both lack amenity to meet the needs of an expanded population. The items listed are essential mitigation measures to ensure that the settlement remains viable and cohesive.
A Community Governance Review will be required by East Lindsey District Council (or its successor authority) to ensure that Thimbleby Parish Council has an appropriate number of seats and capacity to represent a significantly enlarged population, should the development remain within the Parish Boundary.
All place names and street names for the development should be proposed by Thimbleby Parish Council in accordance with local naming protocols.
Conclusion
Thimbleby Parish Council remains willing to enter into further discussions with East Lindsey District Council and the developer if this outline plan is approved.
However, this willingness does not diminish the seriousness of its objection.
The proposal represents a major, detached expansion within Thimbleby Parish, with significant implications for governance, identity, infrastructure, safety and environmental risk. These matters must be fully acknowledged, resourced and resolved before any approval is considered.