Will it be second time lucky for scheme to build eight new houses in green and leafy part of Waltham?

Ecologist thinks nesting bricks should be incorporated into the properties to provide a habitat for swifts such as the bird pictured above

A NEW eight-house development could be on the cards for a plot in Waltham.

North East Lincolnshire Council planners are considering  the scheme for a  grassland plot off  Anita Grove.

When a similar scheme was submitted previously, it was turned down by NELC, then, when the applicants appealed,  by an independent planning inspector.

But with the council under Government pressure to build more homes in the borough, the project has come up for a fresh airing.

Agent Dieter Nelson comments: "There would be an inevitable urbanising effect on the landscape, but  with an appropriate layout and landscaping, and limited to eight two storey dwellings and/or bungalows, the effects could be appropriately mitigated through careful design. 

"The housing would eventually be viewed in the context of the surrounding development along Cheapside and as such would not result in significant harm to the character and appearance of the area."

If the development  is given the green light, consultant ecologist Celia  Commowick has urged the installation of swift-nesting bricks within the higher parts of the properties to provide a nesting habitat for a summer-visiting migrant that is close to breeding extinction in North East Lincolnshire. 

Ms Commowick would also like to see the creation of a wildflower meadow and soft landscaping.

As submitted, the scheme allows for digging of an attenuation pond and the planting of a hedgerow and 15 trees to replace some that are likely to be lost.