'British people used to know how to protest': Fuming OAPs issue call to arms over plans for 150 newbuilds beside leafy cul-de-sac as they vow to lie in front of developer's diggers
A sleepy mews in Lincolnshire is being threatened with the ‘crazy’ development of 150 new homes with only their road for entrance.Home to mostly pensioners, residents of Corn Close in Fiskerton have been devastated that their retirement plans could be thwarted by years of development.Mick and Maxine Galege, 69 and 67, moved to the cul-de-sac five years ago because ‘it was quiet’ but are terrified this will change.‘There'll be the mud, there'll be the dust, there'll be the noise, it'll affect our properties’, Ms Galege said.‘People pick their houses, especially as they get older, because they want peace and quiet.‘We are all pensioners on this close, why are they building new houses here?’The estate would add some 300 locals, a quarter of the town's current population of around 1200 people, they said. The Church Commissioners of England were hoping to have decision on the 'undeveloped greenfield land' in a council meeting last week but a verdict has been delayed. Corn Close (highlighted) is the only entrance and exit included in proposals for the new mammoth housing site The Church Commissioner have proposed building 150 new homes on a piece of greenfield Mick Galege, 69, said the increase in traffic on the road will devastate their plans to retire in a peaceful and quiet neighbourhoodWest Lindsey District Council said this was because Council Members 'sought clarity on contributions to be made towards local infrastructure, in particular local schools'. There are not many details about the properties - like how many rooms they will be - but the proposal said 'the dwellings to the south of the Site are to be located to respect the privacy of the existing properties along Ferry Road'.Mrs Galege said that since most houses now have two cars, 300 vehicles will now be driving up and down their road every day.‘Usually, we can't even get parking spots near our house.‘We've never come round this corner and been able to drive on the left side of the road, it's always in the middle because there are so many cars.‘There's no facilities in the village so they will have to make trips all the way to the nearest town to get anything’.They said the increase in traffic will affect further than just their stretch.‘One of the really dangerous points you’ve got is the school and you have to drive around that nasty bend by the church, it's so dangerous,' Ms Galege explained.‘There have been so many near misses there, particularly the lorries coming through and now if you're gonna get all that extra traffic coming round there.’ Residents say that the road will almost always have cars parked on the sides and doesn't have enough space for an estimated 300 more Ms Galege said the bend around the local church was 'dangerous' and would be made worse with the increase in traffic The local school is also near the 'dangerous' bend Fiskerton is home to around 1200 people but this could increase by 25 per cent if the plans go throughRead More Nimbys fight back! Villagers band together to buy field behind their homes to stop newbuild plans Mrs Galege said her and her neighbour were considering protesting and lying down on the road to block cars coming through.When her husband said that would be a highway offence, she laughed and said 'they'd have to be careful with me because I'm an OAP'.'British people used to know how to protest'. Des and Kris Casburn, both 70, said it was ‘madness’ that there would be ‘a rise of 1,500 per cent in traffic, which is just too much’ if the plans went through.‘It's ruining what we thought was gonna be the last… well, our retirement here,’ Mrs Casburn sighed.‘Everything will change.‘Our grandchildren won’t be able to go out and play when they visit because of the cars.’‘People come to the middle of nowhere for a reason,’ Mr Casburn added.‘We love it here, but I'm not so sure about the future.John Hall, who lived on the corner, said ‘it took much longer to sell the house than it should have', waiting over a year for an offer to be taken. John Hall, 78, said prospective buyers were put off by his house because it would be so close to the development Mr Hall said ‘it took much longer to sell the house than it should have'‘People liked the house and everything but the thing that put people off was the development,' the 78-year-old said.The Galeges said they wouldn’t be able to sell their house now if they wanted after Mr Hall’s experience.‘The number of people that came and found out that there was development here, they walked away.’Carl Wager, 62, said ‘I can totally appreciate the need for more housing but my thing is - is this the best we can do?’He said ‘there are other villages around Lincoln that are really attractive for young families and that type of age group’.‘Here, it's retired people, there's no facilities here.‘You look at the plans that they've done and then the forecast of how many houses you’re gonna need in this area, West Lindsey, for the next 10, 20 years and there’s just not the need.'The council have said the site is 'already allocated for residential development in the local development plan for the area'. Carl Wager said there were better areas of land that could be developed on than this piece of greenfield used by farmers for cropsMr Casburn said: ‘The other concern I have is if 150 houses have children and young teenagers, what are they going to do?‘There's nothing in the village and how long until they start looking around somewhere else?‘If they’ve got nothing to do, they would just be loitering and might do petty theft.'He added: ‘If I was looking for somewhere to live, I would not even buy here right now because the surgery is gone, the shop's gone, the post office is gone.Mr Wager accused the Church Commissioner - who had investment fund held assets valued at £10.4bn in 2023 - of cashing out.‘The Church Commissioner don't need the money because we haven't got any clergy anymore,’ he said.‘The only reason they're selling is to generate more money, there's no other reason for it.‘The crazy thing is that they already get some income from it because that's all rented out to farmers.‘It's just opportunism really, I'd have to question why are the church selling that land? What do they do with the money? Mr Wager accused the Church Commissioner of 'greed' and selling outRead More Keir Starmer vows to bulldoze 'Nimby' objections to housebuilding led by 'blockers and bureaucrats' He added: ‘If we were that desperate for housing in this area, then I would be supporting all housing, but there's nothing that's spurred the need to do it other than I would say greed.’The Church Commissioner declined to comment.They have advertised themselves as the ‘responsible and ethical management of the Church of England’s permanent endowment fund’, which is ‘a diverse investment portfolio’ that financially supports the Church.Mr Galege said a planning officer had come down to take photos of the field and when Mick told him ‘you can’t let this go through’, he replied ‘I’ve got no option, I have to recommend approval because the government wants housing’.He also felt blindsided and ‘annoyed’ because the council had not been doing enough to make them aware of meetings and proposals, he said.‘They had a planning meeting this month but nobody was notified.‘The first I knew about it was when that planning inspector came.'The impact on the local sewage system has also been a huge concern for all residents, who said the current plumbing is ‘terrible’. Locals said the community is predominantly pensioners who chose this area for the peace and quiet Mr Wager said that there is 'just not the need' to build the houses in his sleepy villageMs Galege said that ‘the sewers flooded the other day when it rained hard, it's horrible’.She then laughed: ‘And then they expect 150 more houses to use the same?’The road, which is on a slight slope, leads down towards a floodplain, she said.The planning proposal has suggested two balancing ponds on either side of the site but the locals are skeptical of how much it will help.‘That field is always really wet, so if you get houses on it, the water's gonna go in the balancing ponds, it's straight down the road here, which already has so much surface run-off,’ Mr Galege said.Mr Casburn agreed that ‘the proposed ponds are not a solution because there is one already and it is already flooding’.One neighbour on the close is said to have been warned to leave his home because of flood risk during a storm, along with 70 other households.‘Once your house is flooded, you can't have insurance,’ Ms Galege added. Residents are concerned about the sewage, citing existing issues, as well as the risk of flooding and surface run-off from the newbuildRead More Newbuild war by Britain's happiest town: Locals slam plans on area of outstanding natural beauty The planning proposal has said the site itself 'is not within an area at risk of flooding'. Mr and Mrs Galege were concerned for the local doctor’s surgery which was already swamped - ‘my son had to wait three weeks for an appointment and only got one because he went in there and said how much he needed it.’Mr Galege scoffed at the £95,000 the proposal is said to be contributing to expand facilities at Nettleham Medical Practice: ‘The money that they're going to give the surgery, it's not even to pay for a doctor.’He said other details have been overlooked: ‘I've asked the council if this becomes Corn Road, who pays for all our documents to be changed from Corn Close?'Mr Galege said it would be better to build the properties on the brownfield sites down the road that housed an old knitting factory.He also suggested the west of Cherry Willingham because that would be closer to Lincoln and the bypass where most people would commute for jobs.‘It doesn't make sense to put it here.’The field had previously been used for farming, growing wheat and rapeseed.‘Yes, we need housing, but we also need food growing,’ Ms Galege said.‘We are gonna want British food, especially the way they've put in tariffs and made food so expensive.’Mrs Casburn concluded: ‘It's just a sad situation at the moment and they don't care.‘They're just gonna build it anyway, no matter what anybody says.’West Lindsey District Council said 'residents’ concerns will be taken into consideration before any decision is made on the application'.
