GREENBELT MAY BE DEVELOPED
A Piece of greenbelt land in a North Lincolnshire town has been earmarked for possible development.
The 21 hectare site, northwest of Winterton, off Top Road, has been put forward for housing or business use as part of the Local Development Framework (LDF).North Lincolnshire Council must find space for 6,500 houses by 2021, to deal with spiralling populations, and has put together the LDF to help plan for the future.
Residents have been consulted and put forward a host of areas, which could be used for development outlined in the document.
This week the Scunthorpe Telegraph is looking at plans for all the areas of North Lincolnshire in a series of features focusing on where people said they would like to live.
As well as the greenfield site at Winterton, currently used for agriculture, other areas of possible development in the town include an area to the east, north of Cemetery Road, and to the south near to Enterprise Way.
Burton-Upon-Stather and Winterton Labour ward councillor Bernard Regan said: "The problem with Scunthorpe is we have only got three major roads from north to south.
"Most of the jobs are created north of the town. The council is trying to balance this, and with talk of major employment possibilities on the Humber Bank, it is sensible the Winterton area is earmarked for possible housing."
He said the consultations were at a very early stage and there was going to be lots more communication with the public.
The village of Appleby, south of Winterton, is also earmarked for a possible employment development north west of the village, around the agricultural land of Ermine Farm. Burton-Upon-Stather escapes any proposals.
Coun Regan said he opposed building on greenfield sites.
"The council is consistently failing to meet its Government targets to build on brownfield sites. This is because greenfield sites are easier options to developers - a clean slate so to speak," he said.
"We have got to stick to our guns though, because there are lots of possible brownfield sites. We need imaginative and innovative development."
Winterton resident and councillor Allan Smith said: "I am concerned about development in Winterton because it is all over the place at the moment and I am not happy about it. There is nowhere to park for a start.
"Developers have got to look at it properly, instead of thinking of the money.
"It has got to be built in the right context, they have got to think of the public who live there and have lived there all their lives."
thisisscunthorpe.co.uk, 04.01.2008