FC August 2025 DRAFT Minutes (EOM)
Minutes of the Extraordinary Council Meeting held on Wednesday 27th August, 2025 at 6:00pm in Franklin Hall, Spilsby. These are notes of the meeting until approved by the Council as a true and accurate record.
Present:
Cllrs L Day (Mayor), L Marsh (Deputy Mayor), A Day, P Gale, M Gibson, E Marsh (Town and District Councillor), T Robson, W Rose, and T Taylor; and Deputy Town Clerk - S Thomas.
There were ten members of the public in attendance.
Public Session
Cllr L Day invited members of the public to speak. Cllr Day advised attendees that the Town Council are considering a response to the planning application, a draft response has been circulated with Councillors prior to the meeting, to be amended and added to at the meeting then to be considered for approval. The Town Council would like resident’s views to add to the response.
Resident 1 expressed concern that the development is to be constructed on land that contains radon - a radioactive gas. The resident queried whether the construction would raise health concerns and what actions would be taken to ensure risks are kept to a minimum.
Cllr Taylor advised that ecologists will be carrying out various tests before the development commences and will advise prior to the start if there are any dangers to public health.
Resident 2 queried construction of the new medical centre. Cllr Taylor explained that the building of the medical centre is now a completely separate application to the housing development. It was originally agreed that the houses would be built after the medical centre, however, a separate application has since been submitted so that the properties can be constructed without the need for the medical centre being built first. Cllr Taylor confirmed that Gleesons will construct the infrastructure for the medical centre. Cllr E Marsh confirmed that the Integrated Care Board are trying to source funding for the construction, which Gleesons will make a contribution towards.
Resident 3 requested confirmation on the amendments to the plans. Cllr Taylor advised amendments included the removal of some grass verges at the front of the housing estate to allow for the entrance road to be widened. Almost 300 documents have been added to ELDC’s planning portal for this application. These include improvements to infrastructure in the town as well as street scenes and house designs for the estate.
Resident 4 queried whether the amendments were related to the construction of three new substations as the previous plans shows only two. Cllr Taylor advised that there are also changes to the attenuation ponds.
Resident 3 queried the timescale of the construction of the attenuation ponds in relation to the rest of the estate. Cllr confirmed the attenuation ponds would be constructed in the first phase with other vital infrastructure.
Resident 3 raised concerns over congestion on Halton Road. Cllr L Marsh advised the Town Council would raise this will ELDC and the developers as well as request that all construction vehicles enter the site from Ashby Road to avoid the town centre. The Town Council will also request that stakeholders find a long-term solution to parking issues on Halton Road as well as completing the spine road of the development in its entirety as part of the vital infrastructure in phase 1 of the construction.
Cllr E Marsh reminded residents that the Town Council is only a consultee to the planning authority.
Resident 4 requested a public meeting with the developers, ELDC, LCC, Anglian Water, the Environment Agency and any other relevant parties to discuss pertinent issues.
Cllr E Marsh offered to contacted the relevant parties to plan an open meeting for residents.
Resident 5 expressed concern regarding the speed limits on Ashby Road and Halton Road. Cllr Taylor confirmed that the Town Council has already been consulted on speed limits, with the 30mph zones likely to be extended along both roads to include the entrances to the new estate.
Cllr E Marsh advised there is a Community Speedwatch team who carry out speed watch sessions at various locations in Spilsby to help raise awareness of the speeding issues in the town. This helps determine the sites where the speed limits need to change. The group always welcomes new volunteers to help.
With no further comments, it was resolved unanimously to move into formal session.
62. Welcome
Cllr L Day welcomed all present, reminding Councillors about emergency exits and safety protocols, to turn phones off and appropriate conduct.
63. Apologies
It was resolved unanimously to accept apologies from Cllrs C Hewlett, D Mangion and T Kemp.
64. Declarations of Interest
Cllr T Robson declared an interest as a member of the Spilsby Recreation Ground Committee. The SRG could receive a large donation from Gleesons for the improvements planned and although not a pecuniary interest, it is listed as other registerable interest. It was resolved unanimously that Cllr Robson could take part in the discussions but not vote.
Cllr T Taylor and Cllr E Marsh declared interests as both serve as District Councillors, choosing not to vote but would help advise on issues.
65. To consider planning application reference S/165/00287/24- reserved matters application relating to the erection of 600 dwellings, 3no pumping stations, 2no electricity sub-stations, provision of open space, landscaping, infrastructure, attenuation ponds and construction of vehicular accesses for land at Halton Road and Ashby Road, Spilsby.
Cllr Rose suggested that the draft letter provided by the Town Clerk be reviewed one section at a time with any amendments discussed and agreed. Councillors could then vote to approve the whole response once fully reviewed, to also include feedback from residents and any additional sections considered. Cllr Rose requested a note of thanks be placed on record to the Town Clerk on drafting a very comprehensive letter in response to the planning application.
PRIMARY CARE CENTRE
Cllr L Day suggested that the building of a medical centre might not be going ahead, whereas Cllr Rose suggested that it would be built but not before the construction of the houses, contrary the conditions of the original application. Cllr Taylor highlighted the need for the medical centre and advised that it is now a separate application to the housing development which should go ahead once funding is in place.
Cllr A Day advised that this housing development will take 10 years to complete and thought it could take the same amount of time for the medical centre to come to fruition.
Cllr E Marsh advised that once the entrance road and car park have been built by the developers, the Integrated Care Board could have funding in place to start building the new medical centre. If any of the new houses could not be built before the medical centre, it could take several years before any building work commences at all. This would put pressure on the developers who could take legal action so that the houses are built before the medical centre.
It was agreed that the primary care centre paragraph in the draft letter remains as written.
FLOODING/DRAINAGE ISSUES
Cllr Taylor recommended the Town Council raise this with ELDC but suggested that the amendments address the issues that were noted in the original application including the installation of a 3rd attenuation pond.
Cllr Robson requested that an addition is included asking for confirmation from the Environment Agency and Anglian Water that they are satisfied with the proposed improvements that the developers are making to alleviate issues with flooding and drainage.
It was agreed that the flooding paragraph in the draft letter remains, including the above addition.
PHASING
Cllr Taylor explained that the developers had originally agreed to the spine road being built throughout the whole of the site to alleviate the amount of construction traffic coming through the town centre but this is not the case now.
Cllr L Marsh suggested that the spine road should be constructed in its entirety and kept open during the development. Cllr L Marsh also suggested that the Town Council seek assurances from the developers that there will be enough building materials and silos on site to limit the number of deliveries being made and limit the disruption to the town.
Cllr E Marsh suggested that points of contact are arranged between the Town Council and developers so that any issues during the development are quickly rectified. Cllr L Marsh suggested a weekly meeting is held between the Town Council and the Site Manager to discuss how the development is progressing and raise any issues with the development.
Cllr Taylor suggested including in the response a request for warning signs of construction traffic to be displayed throughout the town not just in close proximity to the development site.
It was agreed that the phasing paragraph in the draft letter remains, including the above additions.
LAYOUT
Cllr L Marsh suggested the Town Council seek reassurances about the management company being used for the maintenance of the green spaces on the estate. Cllr E Marsh explained that at a previous meeting held with the developers they confirmed that a management company would be used and measures are in place should the management company fail.
The Deputy Town Clerk recommended a section be added requesting clarification of the social housing provider as it would be preferable if the provider was local to Spilsby and that local people had preference.
Cllr E Marsh advised that the developers have struggled to find a social housing provider but understood a company based in Gainsborough could take on the responsibilities of the social housing on the estate.
Cllr L Marsh recommended that once details of the social housing provider are known, the Town Council build a relationship with them so that should there be any issues in the future, these can be discussed.
Cllr E Marsh advised that a letter dated January 2025 from LCC explained that the developers had not met the conditions with regards to the installation of the spine road, the routing and management of construction traffic, the parking of vehicles, loading and unloading of plant equipment and materials, storage and strategy for service run off. Cllr E Marsh advised the Town Council seek assurances from ELDC and the developers that plans will be in place to keep disruption to a minimum over the course of this project.
It was agreed that the layout paragraph in the draft letter remains, including the above addition. It was agreed to include social housing element in the letter as a separate section.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Cllr L Marsh expressed concerned regarding the pedestrian crossing outside of the Post Office, suggesting it should be changed to a pelican crossing so that traffic has to stop. Cllr L Marsh also suggested that the zebra crossing on Halton Road be moved and located outside the Nelson Butt which would mean that the zigzag no waiting lines are painted either side of the crossing stopping traffic parking outside the Deli, where the double yellow lines are regularly ignored.
It was agreed that the infrastructure paragraph in the draft letter remains, including the above addition and with a request for 30 mph roundels to be painted on the roads coming into the town.
S106 FUNDING
Cllr Taylor reiterated his concerns that the proposed infrastructure improvements included in the S106 proposals of the original application have been removed and advised that the Town Council raise this issue.
The Deputy Town Clerk confirmed that information had been requested from ELDC about the SRG being denied S106 funding from the Granary Close development despite it being closer the Recreation Ground than this development. No response had been received prior to the meeting.
Cllr E Marsh expressed concern that requests for S106 funding had not been submitted by relevant departments to enable infrastructure improvements to take place and recommended the Town Council seek clarification on this.
It was agreed that the S106 funding paragraph in the draft letter remains, including the above additions.
DEMAND
It was agreed that the demand paragraph in the draft letter remains, as written.
SCHOOLS
Cllr L Day advised that all of the schools in Spilsby are at capacity and an increase in the population will inevitably mean an increase in the number of school aged children. Cllr Robson confirmed that a number of the schools in the nearby villages have limited space available.
Cllr L Marsh suggested that it would be difficult for the schools to expand because they already surround by other properties and suggested that King Edwards VI Academy and Eresby Special School also be included in this section.
It was agreed that the schools paragraph in the draft letter remains, including the above additions.
CCTV
It was agreed that the CCTV paragraph in the draft letter remains, as written.
STREET NAMES
Cllr L Marsh suggested providing a list street names that could be used for the new estate, using airmen of RAF Spilsby, or famous sons and daughters of the town.
Cllr Rose suggested having a public consulation for new street names.
It was agreed that the street names paragraph in the draft letter remains, including a list of potential street names.
It was resolved by majority to submit the draft response with the additions mentioned above.
Cllr E Marsh suggested that more information needs to be given to the residents and businesses in Spilsby about the development and agreed with the suggestion made by Resident 4 that a public meeting should be arranged with all the parties involved in the development, to discuss the plan and alleviate any concerns the public may have.
Cllr Taylor agreed that a public meeting would be beneficial, but expressed concern that not all parties would be able to attend.
Cllr E Marsh offered to arrange.
With no further comments, Cllr L Day closed the meeting at 7:35pm.
Signed…………………………………………………………….
Town Mayor - Cllr L Day
Signed…………………………………………………………….
Deputy Town Clerk to the Council - S Thomas
24th September 2025