PLANNING officers have recommended 521 new homes in Humberston are approved – 400 of which have already been rejected once.
Officers in North East Lincolnshire Council's (NELC) planning department have recommended that the committee approve a 400-home development of Humberston Avenue and 121 new homes on the old Humberston Park Golf Course.
The Par Three 121 homes are approved in detail but it is less controversial than the Keystone Developments proposal which is an outline – meaning some specific points are yet to be decided. Both will be decided on by elected officials at a planning committee meeting.
However, members of the Save Our Fields campaign group are angry at what they believe is a pointless repetition after the planning committee rejected the Keystone plan in November – despite it being recommended by officers.
Lee Scargill, 38, of Church Avenue, Humberston, said: "NELC's town planners are prime examples of wastage in the civil service – why do they continue to perpetuate this wasteful spending of our council taxes?
"I want to see this application rejected again by the planning committee, and urge them to show some leadership and sensibility over NELC's town planners."
The Keystone proposal was altered and re-submitted following refusal – although campaign group member Melvin Clarke, 47, of Glebe Road, said it was virtually the same.
He added: "The 'new' plans look the same and nothing has changed from our perspective either – we don't want these new homes and don't need them.
"The decision was close before and I just hope that the people we elect do the right thing by us again.
"If not, the village life we love will be over as we slowly get swallowed up as part of Grimsby and Cleethorpes."
However, the chair of NELC's planning committee, Councillor Alex Wallace (Lab, Sidney Sussex), defended the process and the actions of planning officers.
He said: "The developers have altered the original plans and we have to be extremely mindful of officers' recommendations as they follow a very strict procedure.
"If we are found to have ignored them, the applicant can sue the council for substantial damages – at a time when our budgets are already very tight."
The planning committee will meet at Grimsby Town Hall at 9.30am on Wednesday, and members of the public can attend.
A further planning application has been submitted by Leeds-based Bramall Properties Ltd to build 50 new homes, up to eight retail units and five large trade or office buildings off Altyre Way, Humberston – next to the Tesco Extra store on Hewitt's Circus.
See tomorrow's Telegraph for more information on that plan.
ON THE WEB: Breaking news on the planning committee's decision on the 521 homes will appear at www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk on Wednesday.
