Title: Deepings Residents Share Worries about Border Housing Proposals
New Article:
There has been growing controversy over prospective housing plans along the border of Lincolnshire and Peterborough. Local public figures and Deepings inhabitants have voiced their unease. Peterborough City Council has aired a scheme to construct new residences near its border with The Deepings within Lincolnshire — an initiative labelled ‘audacious’ by South Kesteven District Council member Phil Dilks. He cautions that such developments have the potential to put even more pressure on the current infrastructure.
Presently, The Deepings, comprising Deeping St James and Market Deeping, holds 6,276 homes as stated in the 2021 Census. South Kesteven District Council’s local plan, which is currently under public scrutiny, has assigned an additional 1,800 homes to this area. Meanwhile, Peterborough’s local plan, also in review, hypothesises 1,050 dwellings just inside its border. If both plans receive approval, then the total number of houses in the locality could potentially increase by 45%.
Deeping St James Parish Council’s Judy Stevens emphasised the residents’ apprehensions regarding the capacity of local facilities, including retail outlets and educational establishments, to cope with such an expansion. “Local residents feel neglected as infrastructure enhancements promised by existing developments are yet to come into existence”, she noted. “They are not fundamentally opposed to development, but the scale of it is overwhelming.”
Councillor Dilks indicates that while Market Deeping and Deeping St James are wholly contained within South Kesteven District Council’s governance, Peterborough’s projected plans could place surplus strains on local facilitites in The Deepings. Councillor Nick Thulbourn from Peterborough City Council accepts that new residents could likely make use of Lincolnshire’s local facilities, but reassures that infrastructure aspects will be factored into their local plan. “Peterborough, as a burgeoning city with a youthful population, necessitates housing to accommodate this demographic,” he commented.
This report was loosely adapted by The Lincoln Post from original coverage found on www.bbc.com.
