A major section of a wartime airfield near Grantham looks set to be used for storage and distribution.

The planning committee of South Kesteven District Council is recommended to approve two applications Mr John Rose of Roseland Estates Limited.

One plot concerns a 8.7ha triangular piece of land on Roseland Business Park 2.5km south of Long Bennington. The other plot is 9.7ha and is adjoining the first.

Reports prepared prepared for the committee, meeting next Thursday (Sept 16), say the applications are supported by a planning statement which states it is expected the storage uses "would comprise either vehicles or goods manufactured elsewhere within the business park, or directly associated with the existing occupants of the business park.

"Vehicles to be stored on the site would be brought to and from the site either on vehicle transporters or individually and would travel to / from the site via the main site entrance onto Roseland Way to / from the A1."

The reports noted comments from Long Bennington Parish Council who said the schemes would create an "unacceptable increase in the movement of vehicles, in particular transporters, to and from the site."

The parish council said: "Continued expansion of Roseland Business Park without restrictions to alleviate the impact on Long Bennington residents and visitors is a cause of concern.

"Since the acquisition of Smart Fleet Solutions by Cazoo in February 2021, we are now seeing Cazoo lorries travelling through the village 7 days a week and very late into the evening. This is causing unacceptable disturbance for residents.

"It is clear that there is the intention to expand Roseland further and therefore Councillors request the imposition of restrictions to protect the village. In particular, Long Bennington Parish Council requests that any approval includes restrictions to prevent vehicles travelling

through Long Bennington." Planning staff noted residents in council consultation made similar comments. However, they said approving the schemes would not significantly increase traffic levels and both sites were part of a business park. Therefore, taking this into account, both schemes met with the development plan so there were no material reasons not to approve the proposals, the officers concluded. SKDC planning staff also recommend the approval on an existing portable office building and toilet block on the airfield site to allow the erection of a new office building (including new staff welfare facilities, canteen, drying room, toilets, and showers). The applicant is ES Global, an events management company, based at Hangar 8 on the eastern edge of the business park. By the main hangar building is a stacked portable office building and toilet block, which it seeks to replace with a replace with a new office block. "The new building would incorporate staff welfare facilities including canteen, toilets, and showers. The building would be situated on a similar footprint to the portable buildings, although slightly larger, sited to the north-east of Hangar 8. "The modular flat roof building would be constructed using insulated aluminium faced sandwich panels with a

high-performance insulated roofing system. The building would have an approximate floorspace of 234m2 and would be single storey."

Assessing this application, SKDC planning staff concluded: "Having regard to the scale, design, and pattern of development within the immediate area, it is considered that the development would not lead to any significant adverse impact on the character of the area and would also not lead to a significant impact on the amenities of neighbours.

"No additional highway impact is considered to result from the proposal. The development would enhance the commercial operations on site and would be in accordance with relevant provisions [of local and national planning policies]."