Unsuccessful attempts to obtain planning permission were made to South Kesteven District Council  in 1993 and 1994 and in 2003, a third application was submitted, this time for 37 new homes on the site. It was turned down in December that year when the council decided that the development would virtually fill the grounds around the house, making it "cramped and oppressive". The developers, CFD Limited of Oakham, promptly appealed and in the meantime, they submitted a fourth application for planning permission, this time for 51 homes, but that too was rejected by SKDC in June 2004 after receiving a protest petition signed by 45 people and hearing 60 letters of objection.

The house stands on North Road, which is also the main A15 trunk road between Peterborough and Lincoln, and is approached by a driveway with an avenue of magnificent horse chestnut trees but there are fears that they may be felled and that wildlife in the area, which includes foxes, squirrels and many species of birds, will be driven out. There is also a nearby orchard of mature fruit trees and some hedgerows but many of these have recently been uprooted.

There have been many objections, mainly because of the traffic and environmental issues involved, and the inadequacy of the local infrastructure, and on Friday 17th October 2003, The Local newspaper carried a particularly vociferous selection of opinions, all of them against the proposals. The newspaper also reported that when Bourne Town Council's highways committee had considered the third application the previous Tuesday (October 14th), it was unanimously rejected and among the objections were the loss of green space and the inadequacy of school and health facilities to cope with yet more new homes. There is also likely to be an adverse effect on road conditions because of an increased flow of commuter traffic on to the main road.

Councillor Don Fisher (Bourne East) told the meeting: "The whole town is gradually disappearing under bricks and mortar. The people feel very strongly that this piece of land should be left as it is and not be turned into yet another unwanted housing estate." Nothing has changed since then except that thousands more homes on out of town sites are under construction and objectors claim that there is no rhyme or reason why this little slice of green space should be swallowed up in a similar fashion.

Councillor Guy Cudmore (Bourne East) said: “This will be of no benefit to the community. There are plenty of houses being built already and they are not selling particularly quickly. There will be 60 extra cars on North Road at rush hour and local schools are already bursting at the seams.”

Councillor John Kirkman (Bourne East) had similar sentiments: “There is a strong feeling of opposition behind further development in Bourne and this will make the situation worse. I wonder if we will have any green space left. The development will mean at least 74 extra vehicles on what is already a dangerous road. It is a diabolical suggestion.”

Dr Dennis Fitzpatrick, who lives near to the proposed development site and canvassed local opinion, believes that the issues of conservation and traffic congestion are of paramount consideration. He is also concerned about the future of the trees, two of the chestnuts at the front entrance being more than 50 years old. In addition, he has raised issues such as the loss of privacy for surrounding properties, increased lighting and doubts whether the design of the estate would be in keeping with the surrounding area.

Opposition has also come from the Bourne Civic Society who said in a statement: “We are strongly opposed to any further housing development in Bourne at this time and fully endorse the views expressed by the town council. The design is out of keeping with the character of the area, there will be a loss of local amenity and privacy, visual intrusion, damage to the Conservation Area, loss of mature trees and severe effects on traffic. The proposals are also contrary to local and government planning policy.”

The proposed housing estate is a mix of three, four, five and six bedroomed detached and semi-detached dwellings. Martin Wilson, principal of Thomas Wilson Architects, agents for the developers, said last year: “We do sympathise with the people living near the site who would no longer be looking over fields. We have gone to great pains not to ruin the area and keep the view from North Road very much as it is. The open appearance of The Croft will be maintained and the development will not have a great impact on the street scene. In terms of house types, it would be a mixed development and there would be an element of low cost housing as well. Trees which have been pollarded are going to be replaced by new specimens of the same trees. We have also kept as many trees as possible to the northern and eastern boundaries.”

This case has become a major talking point in Bourne where there appears to be total opposition to houses being built at this location. Many are personal protests from people living nearby, particularly in Maple Gardens,  who do not want a new estate so close to their homes and will not therefore carry as much weight as official objections for environmental and traffic reasons. On the other hand, we have a landowner and a developer operating quite legally and wishing to build a residential estate on an open space and they have every right to use the due process of local government procedure to get the required permission.

However, the situation was exacerbated during August 2004 when workmen moved in and uprooted the orchard of mature trees, leaving an area of wasteland churned up by heavy vehicles, and objectors claimed that this had been done deliberately by the developers to reduce the visual appeal of the site prior to the public hearing. A few days later, the two chestnuts at the entrance to the house were felled, leaving only stumps where they have stood for the past half a century, an act seen by many as a departure from the promises of the developers not to ruin the view from North Road, and there are now fears for the future of the avenue of chestnuts lining the main drive that have become a landmark in this part of Bourne.

The entrance to The Croft after the two chestnuts had been felled

Among the objectors to the housing scheme is Councillor Judy Smith, a member of both Bourne Town Council and South Kesteven District Council, who told The Local newspaper (3rd September 2004) that residents had approached her in tears of anger and frustration at what was being done. "I am appalled and disgusted", she said. "I cannot believe that the developers have had the arrogance to do this before getting planning permission." Her views appear to echo those of the entire town because both of our main local newspapers have found no support whatsoever for the project.

In October 2004, official opposition to the housing scheme appeared to be crumbling because South Kesteven District Council decided to withdraw their objections on the grounds of highway safety. Instead, the authority planned to concentrate its defence of rejecting the planning applications on the adverse impact the proposed estate would have on the locality and that it would be out of character with the area. This was a major blow to those people of Bourne who are opposed to the development and is sure to weaken the official case but the decision was most probably taken because of the high legal costs that might be imposed on the public purse, a dubious excuse for such an important issue.

Later that month, the wrought iron gates at the entrance to The Croft were locked and the house boarded up and The Local carried a photograph in which it had the doomed and forlorn air of an abandoned property awaiting redevelopment (October 15th). Questions now abounded in the public mind whether the house will ever again be occupied or whether that too had been earmarked for demolition. It is not a listed building and may therefore be pulled down without too much fuss although this information will not be available from the owners until the planning issues have been settled.

The appeal by the developers was due to take the form of an informal hearing before a government inspector at the Corn Exchange, Bourne, on Tuesday 2nd November. Written comments to SKDC were invited for consideration before September 20th and there were many of them. There would also be some time set aside on the day for members of the public to speak, at the discretion of the inspector, and a strong presence was expected from Bourne Town Council. Councillors also invited the town's MP, Mr Quentin Davies, the member for Grantham and Stamford, to attend and speak against the site being used for housing.

In the event, a full hearing did not materialise. The government inspector, Mr Chris Anstey,  was clearly surprised by the large attendance which crammed into the Corn Exchange on November 2nd, most of them anxious to voice their objections, and he abandoned the meeting on the grounds that it would have been impossible to retain control to enable a full and frank discussion about the implications of the issue with so many people present.. "I do not believe that an informal hearing is appropriate when there is so much public interest", he said. "I am therefore calling a public inquiry."

His decision was welcomed by Mr Davies who told the meeting: "There will be widespread support for this. The inquiry should take place in Bourne. It is a matter of great importance to the future of the town and it is right that as many people who want to can take part."

The turn of events was also welcomed by The Local newspaper which devoted a front page editorial to the meeting on Friday 5th November which said: "Yet again, the people of Bourne have shown that they won't accept things which are either unjust or against the community's best interests. Apathy is not a word they recognise. The fact that there will now be a public inquiry is testimony to the appearance of nearly 100 people who attended the hearing to show their disapproval. The war is far from over but winning the first battle is highly significant."

Emotions therefore are still running high in the town and there appears to be a sufficient head of steam to keep the objections alive until the public inquiry is held. We are not privy to the inspector's brief on these occasions but undoubtedly his task will be a difficult one to be decided on the evidence alone and not on sentiment but there is an anticipation that the result will not be advantageous to the objectors.

Many people in Bourne also believe that the issue is becoming a bureaucratic nightmare by going on for far too long and involving too many people. Town councillor Guy Cudmore summed up their feelings after the abortive informal hearing when he said: "There is no reason why this could not have been decided locally, by locally elected democratic representatives of the people of this town."

WRITTEN NOVEMBER 2004

See also   Maple Gardens

Written and photographed by Rex Needle. Additional sources The Local
and the Stamford Mercury newspapers and the CD-ROM A Portrait of Bourne.