173 new homes planned for Magnadata site

A planning application has been submitted to Boston Borough Council for the site which is accessed from Horncastle Road and Norfolk Road.

In the design and access statement submitted to the council by Cartwight and Gross, on behalf of Cloews Developments (North West) Ltd, it is proposed to redevelop the site.

The plans are set to include 12 one-bedroom apartments and 35 two-bed, 59 three-bed and 67 four-bed homes.

They promise there will be adequate open/play space and say landscaping – which will be reserved for subsequent approval – could include protection of amenities and planting trees and hedges as a screen.

The report states: “The proposal for the residential re-development of the existing site will create a viable reuse of a currently vacant brownfield site, and is supported in principal by Boston Borough Council.”

It adds: “The proposal looks to positively address and resolve the issue of the land, improving the local area and bringing a use, scale and massing similar to the surrounding residential streets, creating an attractive, modern addition to the street scene appropriate to its location.

“The proposed development will bring vitality to the area at all times of the day and night.

“The building will present an active frontage to the site entrances on Norfolk Street and Horncastle Road, enlivening the street scene and helping to provide useful natural surveillance over the street and surrounding residential properties.”

A transport assessment of the site, submitted by ADC Infrastructure says: “The proposed residential dwellings will generate approximately 123 vehicle trips in an average peak hour.

“However, Norprint previously generated approximately 42 trips in an average peak hour and, based on comparable sites, the employment site has the potential to generate approximately 84 vehicle trips in an average peak hour.”

A flood risk assessment has placed the area as ‘low risk’, while the council’s Environmental Health team have requested a contaminated land assessment for the sites be completed.

The design and access statement also notes that Boston Borough Council’s housing department is asking for 30 per cent of the housing to be affordable – with 60 per cent of those being ‘affordable rented units’ and 40 per cent being ‘shared ownership’.

The Magnadata and Norprint businesses were put into administration and sold off last year, with Magnadata bought by Bemrose Booth Paragon Group.

However, the report notes that ‘production is slowly being transferred to other facilities in the UK’.

“It is envisaged that the site will become vacant early in the new year [2016],” said the report.

The Standard has tried to contact Bemrose Booth for a comment on the site but has yet to receive a reply.

The full application is available on www.boston.gov.uk under application B/16/0011.