Residents' views sought over £8m homes proposal
DEVELOPERS of an £8m retirement village at The Croft in Bourne want to hear from potential residents on what they would like to see there.
Longhurst Homes, which is part of the Keystone Developments group, was given planning permission last year to transform the dilapidated mansion house, in North Road, into 68 retirement homes with warden accommodation.
The group is hoping to start work on the site later this year and is now drawing up the fine details of the plan.
Partnership director Alan Whyte wants to hear from people about what sort of facilities they would want to see int he development but is stressing the group will take great care of "this important part of Bourne's history".
He said: "We recognise how important the Croft, the driveway and the landscaped areas are to Bourne and to the future development and we intend to make a really good job on restoring all of that.
"We are very keen to ensure that the development enhances the area and doesn't cause problems for local residents.
"We are looking positively to make a start this year so we are now looking in more detail at our proposal.
"We have detailed planning but we are keen to fine tune our ideas for the site and what we are considering is arranging an opportunity for local people to talk to us about to us about the type of retirement housing the are looking for."
The group wants to hear about what sort of prices people will expect to pay for the houses along with what type of facilities they would require from a home such as car parking and baths.
People may also be asked what what sort of facilities they will want in The Croft itself such as gym equipment but Mr Whyte has stressed that the group may not be able to provide all the facilities wanted.
Mr Whyte said: "This is for us to get a feel for the type of properties that people are going to be selling in the area and the amount they are going to be able to afford to pay as clearly the housing market has been quite up and down."
South Kesteven District Councillors voted in favour of the development in November last year by 12 to one, after debating the application for more than an hour and a half.
There had been 22 letters of objection to the application from residents and just one letter of support.
Residents had also raised concerns about the number of houses proposed and the impact they would have on traffic and the environment.
In 2005, hundreds of people attended a planning inspectorate appeal hearing at Bourne Corn Exchange to voice their objections to housing plans.
The appeal was eventually thrown out.
If you would like to comment on the plans contact Mr Whyte at Longhurst Homes, 5 The Triangle, Enterprise Way, NG2 Business Park, Nottingham, NG2 1AE.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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