Land intended as public space could be replaced by housing in Fenland town

New houses could replace land intended to be open space in a Fenland town.

Developers Construct Reason have applied to build 13 new homes on the land north of Ellerby Drive in Wisbech, part of which was designated as public open space in a previous planning application.

That application, for up to 145 new homes, was brought by the same company and dates back to 2006.

But the land meant for recreation is “currently overgrown and has no particular use”, the company’s agent says, and its loss could be offset with new open space elsewhere.

The agent, Swann Edwards Architecture, also said that each of the new homes would have a large garden and a smaller parcel of onsite open space which would provide a “meaningful recreation area” and play equipment for children.

Moreover, another part of the land developers now want to replace with housing was supposed to be replaced by 26 new flats, but they say that this is no longer “viable”.

Construct Reason was granted planning permission to build the flats in 2010 but says that these will no longer be built as “there is no longer a demand for flats”.

As such, the new proposal represents a reduction in the overall number of buildings which will occupy the land off Ellerby Drive, developers say, which means it “represents a planning gain as there is an over provision of open space for a lesser number of residential units”.

The new homes would be arranged around a new roadway and each would have a sizable garden and outdoor parking spaces, they add.

FDC is yet to determine Construct Reasons’ most recent application, but an early response suggests that it would like to see affordable housing make up part of the new development.

A council response to the application says that three of the 13 new houses would have to be designated as affordable for it to meet its minimum requirements.

So far, only one member of the public has responded to the application.

Their objection says that “numerous promises seem to be made, but they are never fulfilled”, referring to an “abandoned GP surgery” and “incomplete” roads as part of the larger development.

In 2015, FDC allowed developers to swap their commitment to building a new health centre with a £260,000 contribution to local services.

If approved, five of the new houses would be two beds and eight would be three beds.