Anger over backing for sewage station project on Scout land

Alexandra Wood

controversial plans to build houses and a sewage pumping station in the grounds of an East Riding Scout hut have won the backing of planning officials.

There has been an outcry since the proposals for affordable homes and the pumping station were revealed – swallowing up a play area used by Scouts and children in Hornsea.

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1st Hornsea Scout Group – which is celebrating its centenary this year – is particularly annoyed as the pumping station, which will also serve four other affordable homes opposite will be right in front of their headquarters on Trinity Road.

The Scout group, which rents the land for the hut from the East Riding Council, has 85 members, aged six to 18, on its roll.

However planners say the proposals are acceptable with changes including cutting the number of homes to free up more play space.

East Riding Council has been slow at providing affordable homes, just 372 being built between 2003 and last year, and now has a housing waiting list of over 10,000 people. In Hornsea there are nearly 100 families on the list and 140 older people.

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The council recently gained funding for 275 new council houses, but these have to be built within a tight deadline to meet Government rules on funding.

Amongst the objectors is Hornsea Town Council, which says the pumping station will be a “blot on the landscape” and could impede motorists’ views. The council added: “There is little provision for youth in Hornsea and this proposal will take away land which is well used by the scouts.”

There have also been dozen of letters from residents complaining about the loss of open space.

The Scouts themselves say that if the homes do go up their building will be left “trapped in a very restricted area and the scope for organising outdoor activities will be greatly reduced, possibly having an impact on the numbers wishing to be involved in Scouting in Hornsea, a valuable provision to youth fun and recreation within the town”.

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Group chairman Steve Smyth said yesterday: “We are pleased that the council seems to be listening, but we haven’t had any written assurances about the sewage pumping station. If they can hide it down the side that would be an acceptable compromise, but at the moment it’s still located right on our access.”

The scheme is part of a 33m housebuilding programme being undertaken by the council. But the projects have to begin by March and be completed by the following year to comply with the funding rules.

The council’s partnership enabling officer Hilary Burdon said funding was unlikely from other sources and grants for social housing schemes were “likely to become even more constrained in future”.

Rents would be within targets set by the Government, which are significantly below market rents. They would be built to higher standards than the average home.

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Ms Burdon said: “Home and Community Agency funding for local authority affordable housing is available for a limited period only with schemes required to be complete by the end of March 2011.

"If the council is to address the housing needs of applicants on the waiting list it is vital that schemes such as this go ahead.”

Originally seven homes would have been built opposite including three for private sale, but the “non-affordable” homes have now been dropped.

The pumping station will be largely underground but will have a raised manhole, vent pipe and control panel above ground and will be surrounded by a fence.

Two applications – one for four homes and the other for three – will be discussed by the eastern area planning sub committee on Monday.

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