Proposals for 4,500-home development are outlined
A public meeting to outline plans to build a major new housing development on the outskirts of Leicester will take place tomorrow.
Blaby District Council has proposed building 4,500 homes on farmland which borders Leicester Forest East, Enderby and Braunstone Town.
The site is west of the M1, north of the M69 and south of the A47 Hinckley Road.
The public meeting, called by the district council and Leicester Forest East Parish Council, will take place on Thursday at the Parish Hall, in Kings Drive, from 7pm.
Councillors from both authorities will attend as well as members of Leicestershire County Council and district council planning officials.
Under the proposals agreed by the district council at a meeting held on July 14, four schools, health care facilities and about 3,000 sq metres for retail developments would also be built.
The council has to find space for 7,600 homes by 2026 to meet Government targets and chose the site over alternatives near Glenfield and Kirby Muxloe.
The plans have already met with anger from a number of residents living in the area who believe the proposal will have a negative impact on the road system and wildlife.
Paul Fox, 52, from Leicester Forest East, said: "I am not a nimby at the end of the day, but I am concerned about the size of the development."
He said 4,500 homes was a lot of homes to build when there was a road network that already struggled with the current levels of traffic.
Blaby District Council has, however, described the plans as a "fantastic opportunity" and promised to negotiate with the developer to ensure that 30 per cent of homes are affordable.
Comments
by Peter, LFE
Wednesday, August 19 2009, 1:23PM
“The "Exhibition" held in LFE last night was well attended by local's, but poorly represented by Blaby Council, who had 3 representitives delivering the same message.
This was that:
1) This was the plan that BDC will be presenting to the relevant bodies as their plan - and that no changes will now be made by BDC as they see this as the solution.
2) Public opinion will not make any difference to BDC, but can only be made via official channels in writing by September 10th and this will be passed to others to view (not BDC) and "may" be considered in the future independant assessment, expected in Feb/march 2010
3) No other locations or option will be considered by BDC, as this is their plan . FULL STOP
4) There are no more details than covered in their strategy document, which does not include details on anything such as how the volume of transport to the area will work - not the problem at this stage, as this comes once the full green light is given.
5) BDC accept that transport is one of the major problems and that planned access routes are only via 3 points: A47 Hinckley Road, Enderby end of Beggars Lane & via bridge connection to Thorpe Astley (near post office/roundabout)
Unfortunately, access to the traffic report they referred to at the meeting was not available (it had gone missing) and can not be downloaded from their website at present (as there is a website problem)
6) No consideration will be given to the residents of LFE in the district of Blaby at this time - as this is their plan
7) BDC & other bodies WOULD consider an althernate plan should any individual wish to put this together and submit before 10th September (at their cost and without the support of BDC no doubt)
Summary
As usual, LFE is badly represented by Blaby District Council and thier plan remains flawed at many levels.
An interesting comment was made by a BDC representitive, saying "if BDC do not put forward a workable plan, then developers would be able to challenge any planning decision, so it is better to have a plan"
In my personal opinion, as far as BDC is concerned LFE/Lubbesthorpe is a suitable solution to "dump" all deelopment in a single area, at a cost to the local environment, well being and life style/culture, as they simply cannot develop a better plan across their whole district.
BDC, you have let the people of LFE down with this poor plan and I urge all residents to voice their opinion as they feel appropriate - mine will be to try to prevent the planned BDC destruction of LFE and of the scenic countryside of Lubbesthorpe/Beggars Lane are.
If BDC cannot do better for the residents of LFE & BDC as a whole, then maybe they are in the wrong job and should move on - one question to all involved at BDC - Where do you live, and what do you personally feel about the destruction of a greenbelt area and a local community?
Public Meeting Thursday 20th 7pm LFE Parish Hall - please attend (including BDC), it could be interesting !”