Thames Street scout hut to make way for new homes

Developers have been granted planning permission to demolish the old Scout hut in Thames Street, Louth, to make way for three new houses, garages, and a flat.
Aeriel image of the site in Thames Street, Louth. (Image: Lincs Design Consultancy planning documents).Aeriel image of the site in Thames Street, Louth. (Image: Lincs Design Consultancy planning documents).
Aeriel image of the site in Thames Street, Louth. (Image: Lincs Design Consultancy planning documents).

The plans will see the unused former Scout hut demolished and replaced with three town houses, each three storeys tall, alongside a coach house containing three garages and a first floor flat, plus a single detached garage.

The application was granted full planning permission, with conditions, by an East Lindsey District Council planning case officer on February 8.

The planning documents, submitted by Lincs Design Consultancy on behalf of E.Robinson (Mablethorpe) Ltd, claim that the former Scout hut has ‘fallen into poor condition and is having a negative effect on the character of the area’ at present.

The planning documents state the site is at low risk of flooding despite its proximity to Louth Canal, and note the street is primarily residential aside from a builder’s yard.

The plans had only led to one neighbour objection, from Sandra Kotis, of Lucern Court, who voiced concerns that the three-storey buildings being built opposite her home would block light to her property, in addition to likely obstruction to the access of her home by construction vehicles during the building process.

Louth Civic Trust also submitted its objections to the application.

This was not based on any principled objection to the redevelopment of the site itself - which the Trust agreed is in ‘poor condition’ and ‘does little to enhance’ the area - but were based on what the Trust believed to be an insufficient level of detail in the plans, considering the developers were seeking full rather than outline planning permission.

Louth Civic Trust added: “This is an important historic area of Louth and the proposal needs to respect the historic significance and setting of Louth’s heritage”.

Louth Town Council also gave their support to the application at their planning committee meeting last month.

However, at this meeting, Coun Jill Makinson-Sanders said she was ‘appalled’ that the land was being sold off after so many community efforts went in to raising money to build the Scout hut in the first place.

She said: “We were proud of that Scout hut, and I’m just staggered that it is just got rid of, just like that.

“A lot of us spend a lot of time supporting community projects in Louth, only to see them torn down.

“I just feel really upset that all the hard work that goes into something is just got rid of.”