Homes mean more cars and pollution
On Thursday, Blaby District Council will be voting on the planning application to build 4,250 houses in the Lubbesthorpe area bordered by Braunstone Town, Leicester Forest East and Enderby.
This land is enclosed by a road network including Narborough Road South, A5460, A47 and including Fosse Park, the M1 and M69 and Lubbesthorpe Way.
All of which are already heavily congested at peak times.
A reasonable estimate is that 4,250 households would accommodate some 10,000 people, who would depend on something between 6,000 and 7,000 vehicles for use on the road network for travel to work, school, shopping and leisure.
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An increase on this scale would lead to major traffic congestion on an already crowded principal road network and the resultant economic cost of the inevitable gridlock delays would be incalculable.
Traffic increase also raises the serious issue of air pollution.
A review of air quality commissioned by Blaby District Council and dated August 31 makes interesting reading.
The document conceded that (new housing) "has potential to substantially increase traffic volume on key routes and would be expected to have a most detrimental effect on air quality".
The report contains impressive graphs, charts and scientific data analysis and concludes with the startling assumption that nitrogen oxide emissions across Blaby District Council are predicted to decline substantially as a result of more stringent emission controls to vehicles.
There is some confusion here between an admission of a detrimental effect on air quality, followed by a prediction that emissions will decline by 2031.
This appears to suggest we must suffer poor air quality now but that the next generation will have lots of fresh air to breathe – if you believe that.
Leaving aside questions of road traffic density and air quality, the main issue is the impact the sheer scale of the proposals will have on the area.
Blaby District Council has 50 square miles at its disposal and the proposal to dump development on this scale on a few acres of greenbelt agricultural land around Lubbesthorpe leads to a strong suspicion of collective nimbyism on the part of those councillors with no direct connection with the area.
If that is the case, there is no hope the weight of public opposition and opinion will influence the decision.
What price the pre and post-election pledges that we would enjoy a "green government" and one that would "listen to the voice of public opinion"?
Jack Haselgrove, Leicester.
Comments
by Peter20101
Tuesday, October 30 2012, 8:43AM
“4,250 houses will of course men more cars & more traffic and the substanbtial reduction in air quality from this, as well as the removal of the green land
With all the comments about the size of this development, just look how big it is compared to other villages in Blaby District:
Enderby has circa 2,600 dwellings
LFE has circa 1,800 dwellings
Kirby Muxloe has circa 2,500 dwellings
Blaby has circa 2,700 dwellings
And other than Braunstone these are some of the largest villages (*all date from BDC village factfile all available on the COuncils website)
The planned development also has over 35% of 4 & 5 bedroom houses - so I guess they will have more than 2 cars per house, probably more like 3 or 4 cars
The impact on the roads & the environment will be substantial and non-reversible
The Council beleive that they can generate social change with this development and get everyone (with 4 & 5 bed houses) to walk to work and to fosse park to do their shopping, as thats what helps reduce their traffic flows to try and get the extra car numbers to a level they can review
Come on now Blaby Council, please listen to your existing residents and use a bit of common sense, this all eggs in one basket approach with generate massive distriuption and further block the roads and is against the views of your own parish Coucils (just read their representations they sent you as well as those given to the Inspector for the Core Strategy - that was found to be unsound)”