The coast is allocated no new housing in the District Council Local Plan

Apart from pending planning applications already submitted to East Lindsey District Council, there are no future plans to allocate any further new housing provision in Mablethorpe, Sutton on Sea and Trusthorpe. Local district councillors have differing views on the decision. Mablethorpe district councillor, Tony Howard believes the plan is short-sighted and thinks the council should look at the coast separately when it comes to new housing matters. He said: “We’re always going to be living near the sea, there is no changing that. “The area won’t completely miss out on housing, there will be some as there are a few application already in the planning pipeline. “But to not build housing in this area due to flood risk, should not be used as an excuse. “The council should be looking at alternative ways to build housing on the coast that are safe against flooding. “There are many examples out there, especially in Holland and Mexico where housing are built by the sea and survive. “The plan I feel is short-sighted and we need to encourage people to come here. “Nowadays infrastructure comes through the planning system, so we need the housing provision there in order to thrive in the future. “If we have no new housing, it would limit the amount of pupil numbers at a new school we are trying to create. “More housing, would help to bring forward more jobs.” However, district councillor inSutton on Sea, Stephen Palmer, thinks that infrastructure needs to be looked at first and housing further down the line. Coun Palmer said: “I think that at the moment, the coast does not need anymore housing. If more housing was built on the coast now, they wouldn’t sell. “There are a few housing developments already in the area that are providing houses and they are stagnant as they can’t sell them. “The coastal region is being left to it’s own slow decline as the area needs to develop in other ways first. “Infrastructure in this area needs to be sorted out first before housing. We need a better transport network. “If we had better connection links in the area, then more people would come to the area, we would get better job opportunities and then would come the need for housing.” What are your thoughts on the draft Local Plan? Do you agree that the coast should not have any new housing? Email your views to: chloe.west@jpress.co.uk. 1 For more information on how the rest of the proposed Local Plan affects the district of East Lindsey, please turn to pages 8 and 9.