Eyesore land in Bourne to be developed
A PIECE of land labelled an eyesore by many finally looks set to be developed.
Developer Larkfleet Homes says building work on 108 homes will finally get under way at the derelict Raymond Mays garage site in Spalding Road and the former Rainbow supermarket in Manning Road within a couple of weeks.
The garage, which also had a car showroom, closed in 2005 after almost 50 years of trading. The supermarket has been empty for more than a year following the opening of the Co-op food store in the Burghley Centre.
Mayor of Bourne Brenda Johnson is delighted that work will finally be starting on the garage site which she has described as a “mess”.
She said: “It is great that something is finally going to be done with the site. At the moment it looks disgraceful and is a hindrance to Bourne.
“It is about time it was developed and made to look nice, as it is one of the first things people see as they enter Bourne from that direction. We want people to see something welcoming when they visit the town, not an eyesore.”
Larkfleet’s land director David Connolly said the garage land and the adjacent Co-op site would together form a new Larkfleet Homes development which would provide much-needed housing.
He said: “The development will include 108 houses in total, with 33 of these being affordable.
“I am confident that the excellent location of the site means that the properties will prove popular with homebuyers.
“Preliminary work, including the demolition of the garage and the former store to make way for the new homes, will begin soon.”
Larkfleet, which is based in Falcon Way, Bourne, bought the land from Anglia Regional Co-operative Society just before Christmas. The Co-op secured planning permissions for the homes and an access road in 2008 and was given three years to start work on the develop- ment.
However, nothing had happened by last year so the Co-op successfully applied to for a three-year extension to the planning permission. It then sold the site to Larkfleet.
A spokesman for Larkfleet said a finish date for the project was not yet known.
He said: “The finish date will depend upon the rate at which houses are sold once work begins.”
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