Councillors have voted against plans to build two new homes behind a former pub in Gedney Drove End.
South Holland District Council’s planning committee considered updated plans from Mr D Salamone to build two three-bedroom houses on land behind the Rising Sun pub on Pit Lane during a meeting on Wednesday, (January 5).
Each home was proposed to have two parking spaces and one cycle parking space.
The homes were proposed for the pub’s old beer garden. The development was originally approved in 2021, despite being in the highest possible flood zone, which required all living accommodation to be on the first floor. Planning permission expired in March 2024.
This time, members raised concerns over what they saw as an “overdevelopment” of the area.
Ward councillor Jo Reynolds (Conservative) argued the site was too small for two properties, noting that one of the bedrooms in each house would be just 5ft wide, with other rooms also limited in size.
“If there ever was a prime example of overdevelopment of a site, this is it,” she told the committee.
“The houses cannot be wider because of the restriction of the site size. It’s like trying to get two pints into a one-pint glass.”
Councillor Paul Redgate (Conservative) echoed these concerns, saying he had “serious reservations” about the proposal.
“The gardens are tiny,” he said. “To me, it does feel like overdevelopment on a small piece of land.” He added that he might have felt differently if only one house had been proposed.
Coun Henry Bingham (Conservative) later proposed refusing the updated plans due to concerns over overdevelopment, a lack of amenity space, and the general design of the homes. It was then proposed to put the application and reasons for refusal to the chairman’s panel. Both votes were carried.
