Forum for residents of St Georges Park and Long Leys Road Lincoln

[john shipton]

The village of Witham St Hughes is facing similar circumstances of the lack of community facilities. There has been articles in the Lincolnshire Echo about this.
My letter was published in the Echo today about the situation comparing what happened with our urban village on Long Leys Road.
Hope you like it...

MONEY SHOULD BE USED FOR PROMISED FACILITIES
Lincolnshire Echo

09:45 - 17 July 2008


I Have empathy with residents of Witham St Hughs over the promises made by the developers and North Kesteven District Council of shops and amenities (July 15).

With the houses that have already been built, is it a wonder property buyers are questioning the integrity of the local authority in allowing more housing to go ahead without the facilities to go with it?

In 2000, the proposed urban village in Long Leys Road, Lincoln, began to take shape too.

Promises were given by the two developers to create facilities for an urban village.

Lincoln City Council sold this idea to prospective buyers at a number of consultation meetings.

'Section 106' money of more than £500,000 was paid to the city council for the development to go ahead. But where did this money go to? It went to other projects outside the urban village.

This information came to light after the newly formed Long Leys Residents' Association began their investigations in 2007. And what else did the local residents' group find and the city council had to publicly admit? The council had no master plan.

The residents are expected to use their cars to go shopping. They have to rely on a private bus company to go into Lincoln. Yes, Lincoln city council can put its ideas on paper but when it comes to reality, it falls short of putting proposals into practice. And what is the excuse now for the lack of a village shop? Small retail shops are not viable and not worth opening because of supermarkets.

The local children have nothing to do to relieve their boredom. The young and their parents have to walk a fair distance to the nearest play park and this is where some of the '106' money was spent.

The city council even thought about public footpaths to connect the urban village to the play park. Instead a couple of footpaths lead on to a dead end. So what is the excuse? No money to budget and the '106' money spent!

I would advise that the villagers of Witham St Hughs make sure that their shops and amenities are built in their lifetime to create the community setting, before excuses are made by the local authority. Otherwise they may end up with just a sprawling housing estate.

This is what happened with the so-called urban village sited in Long Leys Road without community facilities.

JOHN SHIPTON Lincoln.