The Boston Borough Council Planning Committee was scheduled to discuss two planning applications. One application concerned a variation of a condition for a solar farm's delivery route, and the other related to the installation of an external staircase at a property in Leicester Square.

Variation of Delivery Route for Solar Farm

The committee was scheduled to consider an application under section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990¹ to vary Condition 7 of planning permission B/22/0356. This original permission, granted on 21st July 2023, was for a 49.95MW photovoltaic solar array, grid connection, access improvements, and a battery store on land to the west of Cowbridge Road, Bicker, Boston. The proposed variation would alter the condition relating to the routing of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) during the construction phase.

The original Condition 7 stipulated that all delivery vehicles should arrive via the Viking Link haul road and North Ing Drove, and depart via Cowbridge Road, Ing Drove, and the Bicker Wind Farm haul road. The reason for this condition was to prevent HGVs from meeting on narrow Fen roads and to avoid unreasonable reversing manoeuvres. However, a Construction Management Plan (CMP) agreed as part of the development allowed for access and egress via either route depending on the construction stage. This application sought to align Condition 7 with the wording in the CMP.

Concerns were raised by local residents regarding the use of Cowbridge Road for construction traffic, citing issues such as damage to the road, danger to road users, and abuse of residents. A Breach of Condition Notice had previously been served in connection with Condition 7.

The report pack indicated that the Highway Authority had no objection to the proposed change, noting that the peak HGV movements for the remainder of the construction period were considerably lower than originally anticipated. The report also highlighted that the section of local highway affected by Route 2 (Cowbridge Road and Ing Drove) was relatively short, and cumulative traffic impacts had reduced as other construction projects in the area neared completion.

Officers proposed revised wording for Condition 7, which would allow two-way movements along Cowbridge Road and Ing Drove for the remaining construction period, in accordance with the approved CMP and a new Highway Technical Note. This revised condition would also include a cap of four two-way HGV movements per day and require the site operator to keep a record of HGV movements. The report noted that issues relating to the operational phase of the development and the routing of vehicles other than HGVs were outside the scope of this application.

External Staircase at 2 Leicester Square, Boston

The committee was also scheduled to consider a full planning application for proposed external steel staircase to serve first-floor apartments/flats 03 and 04 at 2 Leicester Square, Boston PE21 8RR. The proposal included the removal of a first-floor window to create a new access door at first-floor level. The applicant was Mr P Staines, on behalf of Boston Borough Council.

The application site is a detached two-storey building containing several internal flats, located to the north-west of St George's Road Car Park and south of Lincoln Lane. It is adjacent to five residential properties. The proposed external steel staircase is intended for fire escape purposes and would be fabricated from galvanised steel, featuring a straight-flight arrangement with a landing and balustrade. The new access door would replace an existing window in the southern elevation, and other windows within 1.8 metres of the new staircase would be replaced with 30-minute fire-resistant glazed screens.

The report indicated that no third-party representations had been received, and Lincolnshire County Council had raised no objections. The key planning issues identified were the design and impact on the character and appearance of the area, the impact on residential amenity, flood risk, and biodiversity net gain.

Regarding design, the report suggested that while the staircase introduced a new element and material, it was not expected to have adverse impacts on the character and appearance of the host building or the wider street scene due to its careful positioning in the rear yard, narrow appearance, and visually permeable materials. The proposed door opening and glazing amendments were considered suitable and in keeping with the existing fenestration.

In terms of residential amenity, the proposal was considered to have a negligible impact on privacy, overshadowing, or noise and disturbance due to the substantial separation between the application site and its neighbours. The report also noted that the site is within Flood Zone 3, but the proposal, which did not alter finished floor levels, was not considered to increase flood risk. Furthermore, the application was exempt from the requirement to provide a 10% biodiversity net gain².

The recommendation was for approval, subject to standard conditions relating to the commencement of development and adherence to approved plans.