King Street near Greatford and Baston may not be widened before quarrying begins

Greatford: So, there’s this developer who wants to kick off a quarry project on a 55-hectare site. But here’s the catch: they need to widen King Street first, and that hasn’t happened yet.

The plans to dig up sand and gravel were given the green light back in 2021, but the council said, “Hold on, you need to widen the road first.” They wanted a section of King Street to be six metres wide before any digging could start.

Now, the developer is saying that widening the road could take up to two years. That means they might miss the deadline of July 2025 when their planning permission runs out. If they lose that, they could lose out on three million tonnes of sand and gravel, which is a big deal for them.

Dr. Charles Lane, the developer, has a workaround. He suggests starting the extraction but keeping the materials on-site until the road is widened. That way, no heavy trucks would be rumbling down King Street just yet.

Initially, there were over 160 objections to the project. People were worried about road safety, noise, and the environment. The revised plan is now open for public comments until February 8, and so far, about thirty folks have weighed in.

One local resident, who’s lived there for over 20 years, expressed concerns about traffic. They mentioned how bad it gets when two lorries try to pass each other on the narrow road.

Another objector pointed out that letting officers decide on safety without community input feels like a slap in the face to local residents. Meanwhile, King Street is currently closed for resurfacing, adding to the confusion.

In the end, it’s up to Lincolnshire County to decide if quarrying can start before the road gets widened. Fingers crossed for a solution that works for everyone!