March 2026 DRAFT minutes (EOM)
DRAFT MINUTES
BIGBY PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE EXRAORDINARY MEETING
HELD ON TUESDAY, 31st MARCH 2026
CHAIR – COUNCILLOR D. COWLING
PRESENT: Councillors – H. Aukland, D. Cowling, C. Gandy, L.Mair, B. Orr
Also in attendance: -
Mrs. A. Hannath – Clerk to the Council
BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED
109 Notice convening the meeting.
Taken as read and approved
110 To Receive Apologies and Reasons for Absence
Cllr. W. Pinney did not attend the meeting as it had been called to discuss his Planning Application for a housing development in the village. He has a personal, prejudicial and pecuniary in item 112.
111 a) To Record any Declarations of Interest by any member of the council in respect of the agenda items listed below. Members declaring interests should identify the Agenda Item and the type of interest being declared.
None
b) To Note any Dispensations given to any member of the council in respect of the Agenda Items listed below.
None
112 PLANNING APPLICATIONS AND DECISION NOTICES
Reference WL/2026/00252: Outline planning application to erect 18no. dwellings with all matters reserved. Land Off Main Street, Bigby
A lengthy discussion of the application took place, taking into account the issues / concerns raised by residents at the Annual Parish Meeting, which took place immediately before this meeting.
It was resolved that the Parish Council could NOT SUPPORT the application. The detailed reasons, to be submitted as the Council’s response to the application, are attached.
Proposed: Cllr. D. Cowling Seconded: Cllr. B. Orr
The meeting closed at 8.25 pm
Signed ……………………………………………….
Chairman
Tuesday 5th May, 2026
PLANNING APPLICATION WL/2026/00252
SUBMISSION FROM BIGBY PARISH COUNCIL
The Annual Parish Meeting in Bigby took place on Tuesday, 31st March, 2026. The landowner, Will Pinney, and his Planning Consultant, Andrew Allison, were invited to attend to give a presentation on their vision for the development of the land immediately north of All Saints Church, Bigby, Planning Application WL/2026/00252. There was a question and answer session, where residents were given the opportunity to seek clarification on how the land will potentially be developed and to raise any concerns.
There were 23 residents, 6 councillors and the Ward Councillor, Peter Morris, in attendance. A very detailed discussion of the application took place.
The Annual Parish Meeting was followed immediately by a Parish Council meeting, at which Councillors looked at the application in detail and determined the response to the application.
After due consideration, the Bigby Parish Council OBJECTS to the proposed development.
In summary, these are the main areas of concern discussed at both meetings.
HIGHWAY SAFETY
• The proposed entry and exit of the development is on a narrow stretch of road with sharp bends to the north and south. Unfortunately, this is also at the point where cars entering the village from the north fail to slow down, despite the 30 mph, sign and equally cars exiting the village to head north start to accelerate to speeds beyond 30 mph.
• Stopping distances for cars travelling at 30 mph may not be enough to stop a major accident occurring at this location.
• Main Street, Bigby is a designated C road, which suggests that it has limited usage. However, figures obtained from the Parish Council’s speed camera in 2019 indicate that it is a busy route. There are on average 700 + journeys in each direction on a daily basis, giving over 9600 journeys through Bigby each week. These figures reflect the fact that historically the road is used as a ‘rat run’ by motorists to access the A18, at Melton Ross, and then the M180/A180 at Barnetby Top.
• As a rural village, the road is used by farmers to access fields and to transport crops etc.. The size of agricultural vehicles is immense. Given the change in speed limits for tractors, they can now travel, if they meet specialized safety criteria - including all-wheel suspension, ABS, and high-performance braking, at speeds up to 40 mph. Even assuming that they travel at the 30 mph speed limit, they would struggle to stop if a car was turning out of the development.
LAYOUT AND DENSITY OF BUILDING
• The Central Lincolnshire Local Plan under policy S1 'The Spatial Strategy and Settlement Hierarchy' identifies Bigby as a small village where some limited growth would be acceptable primarily through an allocation(s) to achieve a balance between ensuring the vitality of the village and the rural character. Beyond site allocations development proposals would need to accord with policy S4 'Housing Development in or adjacent to Villages.
• S4 'Housing Development in or adjacent to Villages'. This policy sets a development threshold of up to 5 dwellings in small villages within the developed footprint of the village. The proposal for 18 dwellings is substantially above the 5 dwelling threshold and is indeed sited in the open countryside beyond the established existing developed footprint.
• The policy further states that proposals not meeting this criterion will not generally be supported unless there are clear material planning considerations that indicate otherwise.
There do not appear to be any exceptional circumstances that would give precedence over the policy's number constraints.
• Furthermore policy S4, under part 3, states that proposals for residential development on unallocated land immediately adjacent to the developed footprint (clearly this is the case) will only be supported if it's a First Homes exception site or it is exclusively for rural affordable housing. It appears that the proposal is for speculative housing of varying bedroom numbers and would, therefore, be contrary to both parts 1 and 3 of policy S4.
• Amenities
The proposed density of the development constitutes a 25% increase in the number of houses in Bigby. The proposal does not take into account the lack of local amenities, especially as some of the homes are targeted at retirees.
a) The nearest doctor’s Surgery is in Barnetby
b) There is no public transport in the village.
c) The designated primary schools are in Caistor and Grasby. There are 2 secondary schools in Caistor and 2 in Brigg. The Brigg Secondary schools will be having an influx of students from the new substantial housing development in Brigg. Have local schools sufficient capacity to accommodate additional students from Bigby?
d) The nearest convenience store is in Barnetby.
e) Is there sufficient capacity in the current infrastructure for provision of sewage disposal, water and electricity?
• Light Pollution
The street lighting along Main Street, Bigby is minimal. There is concern that a development of this size will require substantial illumination. This will eliminate the ‘dark skies’ feature of the village, whilst also having a detrimental effect on the setting of the Grade 1 Listed church.
EFFECT ON LISTED BUILDING AND CONSERVATION AREA
• S57 Central Lincolnshire Local Plan states: Development Proposals that will result in substantial harm, or loss of, a designated heritage asset will only be granted permission where it is necessary to achieve substantial public benefit that outweigh loss.
• This proposal will undoubtedly have an impact on the setting of the adjacent All Saints Church, a Grade I Listed Building. Policy S57 'The Historic Environment' sets out such considerations and constraints. The Parish Council cannot foresee how the proposal can enhance or make a positive contribution to, or better reveal, the significance of the listed church which is required under this policy.
• There are major concerns regarding the potential for structural damage to church during the construction process. The Church has roots dating back to the 12th century, whilst major parts of the structure, including the tower and parts of the chancel, date from the 13th century, with further additions in the 14th century. As such, the church does not have substantial footings. The chancel already has damage to its plasterwork on the north facing side, and the consensus of opinion is that this damage has probably been caused by vibrations resulting from tractors going through the village.
Unfortunately, this has to be an acceptable part of life in the countryside, but the Parish Council has no wish that these problems are exacerbated by construction traffic.
• One of the conclusions in the Heritage Impact Statement is that ‘The illustrative development of the site has sought to preserve and enhance the setting of the church which is in accord Step 4 of the GPA 3 ‘to maximise enhancement and minimise harm to the setting of heritage assets’. The magnitude of the impact of improved public access and opportunity is therefore judged to be Low beneficial which is defined as ‘the alterations enhance to a minor extent the heritage asset or liability to appreciate its significance values’.
The Parish Council completely refutes this statement.
NOISE AND IMPACT OF THE BUILDING PROCESS
• During the construction process, the village will be subjected to both construction traffic as will as an increase in cars/vans belonging to the construction workers. As stated under Highway Safety, this will cause serious disruption to the normal flow of village traffic, as well as the potential for a serious accident on the narrow road.
• The further concern is the increased noise due to construction work and traffic. This raises safety issues for both pedestrians and motorists, given that it will be difficult to hear ‘normal’ traffic noise on the highway. Walkers and dog walkers regularly walk along the verge to the east of the field in order to access the Viking Way to Barnetby and to the public bridleway to Caistor. Using ears as will as eyes is essential for safe passage along the highway and for crossing the road to access the bridleway.
• Increased dust and debris from the development will have a detrimental effect on the air quality, especially so for people who have breathing difficulties such as asthma.
NATURE CONSERVATION
• The proposal site also falls within the Area of Great Landscape Value with Policy S62 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Areas of Great Landscape Value' listing the policy criteria. It is difficult to see how the proposal will not have a detrimental impact on the intrinsic character and beauty of this sensitive landscape.
MAINTENANCE CONCERNS
The outline plan includes a nature trail, a pond and a community car park with 20 spaces. Who will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance of these features once the building phase of the development is completed?
In conclusion, Bigby is a rural village set in the Lincolnshire Wolds, an area of Outstanding Landscape Value. The concerns raised above show that this development will have a detrimental effect on both the setting of the village and the Grade I listed church.
Therefore, the Parish Council cannot support this planning application.