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| A footpath through Werry's Spinney. Clive Simpson |
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Bourne-based agricultural firm has this week withdrawn its plans to sell off
woodland for self-build homes at the heart of the town’s Elsea Park estate.
An
application lodged with South Kesteven District Council (SKDC) in May by Wherry
& Sons Ltd for the construction of 10 self-build homes attracted a raft of
local opposition.
SKDC
received more than 300 objections from residents and organisations concerned
about the effects on wildlife and local amenity in an area known as Wherry's
Spinney.
This week
(Monday, 22 July) the company issued a statement saying it had withdrawn its
plans but declined to comment further on what the future of the Spinney might
be.
Now people
living on the estate have urged the firm to re-think its plans for the woodland
which bisects a central section of Elsea Park and is designated in the
council's local plan to 2036 as a site of 'Nature Conservation Interest'.
Local
residents have asked Wherry & Sons to consider offering ownership or
management of the Spinney to a local community trust or wildlife association.
"In
this way it could be protected and managed for future generations," said
Sam Doughty, a resident who helped spear-head a campaign against the
development.
"This
would be a lovely philanthropic gesture to the people of Elsea Park and
Bourne," she added.
Lincolnshire
Wildlife Trust was among those organisations which submitted objections to the
development.
According
to Mark Schofield, the Trust's conservation officer, the Spinney
constitutes "local distinctiveness and a sense of place".
"A
self-build development would negatively affect the character and alter the
access to woodland within the town," he said.
Mr
Schofield added: "There are lots of examples of green spaces managed by
the local community and this could be a great option for the site."
Ayla
Smith, a resident who has walked her dog in the woodland for more than 30
years, told the Stamford Mercury that the Spinney is a haven for wildlife.
"This
is an important wildlife corridor through the estate linking up surrounding
SSIs (Sites of Scientific Interest) with Bourne's Well Head Park and the
meadows," she said.
Last week
SKDC placed an emergency Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on the entire Spinney
for six months and said it was likely a permanent order would be confirmed.
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| Entrance to Wherry's Spinney. Clive Simpson |
Plans for
its part-sale and development were drawn up and submitted on behalf of Wherry
& Sons by architect and building designer John Dickie, of John Dickie
Associates, also based in Bourne.
"At
present the Spinney is 'unmanaged' and in need of a significant amount of work
to bring it into a good usable condition - the proposals seek to provide a
remedy for this," he stated.
James
Wherry, a director and main shareholder of the Bourne-based agricultural firm,
said: "We are an international trading company dealing in dry pulses - we
are not land speculators or developers.
"This
piece of land has been a 'dead asset' on our books for many years and if we can
realise an asset gain for our shareholders we are obliged to try to do
this."
In 2018
the company had a turnover of £17.4 million, an increase of almost £2 million
on the previous year. It has around 16 employees and its listed assets are
valued at over £6 million.
The land
now known as Wherry's Spinney was originally purchased from British Rail by the
company's founder Alderman William Wherry shortly after the town's railway line
was closed.
The family
business has a long association with Bourne dating back to the mid-1800 when
Edward Wherry, the proprietor of Edenham village store, first purchased
premises in North Street, Bourne.
His
relative William Wherry is credited in the late 1800s as being among the first
in the country to recognise the need in the food processing industry for a
complete dried pea trading operation.
Article as written and submitted to Stamford Mercury by Clive Simpson on 22 July 2019.
