Louth: Cycle park plans approved for Lincolnshire Wolds

East Lindsey District Council approved the updated plans on 7 March

Updated plans for a cycle park with a cafe, visitor centre, bike shop and classroom in the Lincolnshire Wolds have been approved.

Lincs Design Consultancy Ltd was granted planning permission for the 100-acre section of the Hinton Estate near South Willingham in 2022.

East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) gave phases one and two of the project the go-ahead at a meeting on 7 March.

The applicant had submitted revised plans for it to be completed in stages.

The 100-acre section of the cycle park would be located on the Hinton Estate

Organisations that objected to the proposals included the British Horse Society and Natural England.

Several local residents also rejected the plans for reasons such as the "negative impact" it would have on village life and the "qualities of the Lincolnshire Wolds Area Of Natural Beauty".

In the new plans for Wolds Cycle Park, the applicant submitted a management plan and a method statement at the request of ELDC.

The applicant has cited the "current financial climate" as a reason for alterations to the initially approved plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Phase one would include creating access for parking and passing places with phase two creating cycling trails in the northern fields and main perimeter loop.

'Lives will be blighted'

Shirley Asquith, clerk of South Willingham Parish Council, said at the meeting: "What use could this be put to when the bike park fails to turn a profit and becomes a redundant field of damaged land?"

East Lindsey councillor Richard Fry, added: "Lives will be blighted by this for the foreseeable future."

Daniel Sharp, director of Lincs Design Consultancy Ltd, pointed out at the meeting that permission for the park was "approved unanimously" by the planning committee two years ago.

The applicant must still present landscaping plans for phases three and four, before proceeding with those stages.