New homes approved in 'flood-prone' village

Plans for 35 new homes have been approved in a village with a history of flooding despite concerns from residents about them making the problem worse.

North Kesteven District Council gave the green light to Grainfield Developments Ltd's plans for Station Road, Digby, at a meeting on Tuesday.

The council's planning committee said they would "almost certainly" lose an appeal if they refused the application, despite the area being flooded during Storm Babet in 2023.

Martin Elvin, who lives close to the site, said Digby was a "flood-prone area".

He told the committee: "We are classed as Zone 1 [the least at risk] but that doesn't reflect the true amount of problems.

"Large numbers have also suffered with problems with the local sewerage system, which would be exacerbated by more homes."

Councillor Marianne Overton said she felt "uneasy" about extra homes in a village with flooding problems.

Councillor James Bourne, who sits on Digby Parish Council, added there needed to be a "serious overhaul of infrastructure" if new homes were being built.

He said: "This is a lovely village and we recognise it needs new development to survive.

"This application seems to rely on regular inspections and maintenance to protect flooding – perhaps it's not in the right place if it needs this?"

However Robert Doughty, speaking for the applicant, stated the development would not increase the risk to existing local homes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The previous flooding has all been down to specific circumstances which the application site isn't connected to," he said.

Several members said they had not seen proof that the development would make flooding problems any worse.

Councillor Richard Wright said: "There's no reason to refuse the application that will stand up to scrutiny [during an appeal]."

Twelve members of the committee voted in favour of the application, one voted against and one abstained.

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