A prominent vacant riverside site in Boston is set to be brought back into use after Boston Borough Council granted full planning permission for nine new townhouses.
The decision gives the go-ahead to developer Keshco Ltd, represented by DT Architects Ltd, to redevelop land between Witham Town, Witham Bank East, and Lambs Row (PE21 9JX), an area within the Boston Conservation Area and close to the Grade II listed 11 and 13 Witham Bank.
The site, listed on the council’s Brownfield Land Register, was previously occupied by an industrial building which was demolished more than a decade ago with conservation area consent. Since then, it has become disused, with part of it informally used for resident parking and, at times, subject to fly-tipping.
The redevelopment will see the construction of nine townhouses arranged in two distinct blocks:
- Plots 1–5: Positioned towards the front of the site along Witham Town, including two homes facing the street, one above a vehicular access archway, and two set perpendicular to the main frontage.
- Plots 6–9: Located to the rear of the site, with a riverside outlook and gardens, carefully set back to preserve views and reduce impact on listed buildings.
The original application, lodged in March 2024, proposed ten dwellings. However, following extensive consultation with local residents, heritage organisations, and statutory bodies, the scheme underwent significant revisions:
- Reduction in scale from ten to nine homes to avoid overdevelopment.
- Lower building heights and altered roof forms to lessen overshadowing of nearby Lambs Row cottages.
- Revised elevations to replace the earlier industrial-style frontage with a more domestic appearance, particularly along the riverside, after conservation officers raised concerns.
- Greater separation from mature trees along the river and neighbouring properties, with a no-dig construction method proposed in root protection areas.
Heritage Lincolnshire and the Canal and River Trust both withdrew earlier objections after the amendments. While the Boston Preservation Trust maintained concerns about the contemporary design not fully reflecting the Georgian character of the area, planning officers concluded that the proposals would “preserve the significance” of both designated and non-designated heritage assets.
The planning permission is subject to a comprehensive list of conditions. These include:
- Archaeological investigations before construction begins.
- Flood resilience measures, with all habitable rooms located above ground level and first floor levels set no lower than 5.6m above Ordnance Datum.
- Ecological enhancements, including new landscaping, bird and bat boxes, and swift bricks.
- Tree protection measures during construction to safeguard nearby protected sycamores.
- Materials and boundary treatments to be approved to ensure the scheme complements its historic setting.
A Construction Management Plan has also been agreed to control access, parking, and deliveries on the narrow Witham Town approach, especially given its proximity to a railway bridge.
Parking was a key issue during public consultation, with several residents of Lambs Row objecting to the loss of informal parking spaces they had historically used on part of the site. The new scheme allocates these spaces to the development, with sufficient provision to meet the council’s standards, but officers acknowledged that this will inevitably displace some vehicles onto surrounding streets.
The Highways Authority did not object but advised that any future parking restrictions for safety reasons would need to be considered separately through a Traffic Regulation Order.
Boston Borough Council currently cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. Planning officers therefore gave “great weight” to the benefits of redeveloping this prominent brownfield site, which they described as a source of “visual harm” in its current state.
In their report, officers said: “The site is a vacant brownfield site that currently causes visual harm to the wider character of the area and the setting of nearby heritage assets. Great weight is given to the benefits of redeveloping the site, which accords with Policy 1 and is considered to be acceptable in principle.”
Construction must begin within three years, and all ecological, landscaping, and flood defence measures must be implemented before the homes are occupied.
The approved scheme is the latest in a series of developments aimed at revitalising Boston’s riverside and heritage areas. The applicant’s planning consultants, 3D Planning Ltd, described the final design as “an example of good modern design which complements the immediate surroundings” and confirmed that the homes are viable and deliverable.
Once built, the nine townhouses will contribute to meeting local housing demand while bringing a long-neglected plot in the heart of the town back into productive use.
