Rapid Development in Village Causes Concern.

An ongoing battle in a village in Leicester could see its size increase by 20% if a developers plans are not halted. Over the years plans have been approved for over 440 new homes in the area of Countesthorpe. The Council however received hundreds and hundreds of objections letters to the development, although this failed to stop the development going ahead and gaining planning permission. A new application is now being considered, this will include another 120 houses in the area of Willoughby Road. So at present there are 2,700 homes but if this application goes through then the number of homes will have increased by a fifth.

The new application is exactly the same as the one turned down earlier in the year. However the developer was hoping that with the change in Government this year and the dire shortage of houing, the application may be successful this time.

Understandably, local residents in the village have fears that this overdevelopment will have strong repercussions on the village. Some Councillors in the village describe the sheer volume of new homes as appalling. They fear that if this second application goes through for the further 120 houses then this will have a knock-on effect on roads, local doctor's surgeries and without doubt the local scholls.

Astonishingly another development approved within the year nearby for 100 homes was refused. In the area off Borrowcup Close the 110 homes were rejected by both the Blaby District Council and the Planning Inspectorate. This application had 196 objection letters from local residents. The developer in thise case however was Persimmon who took the case to the High Court and won. It was due to this decision that the local council in this case felt that legally they could not block the further homes.

In May plans for 180 homes were allowed. In this case 749 letters of objection were received and the district council rejected the plans but the Government approved the scheme. The reason behind the housing numbers is due to the Governments views on how many houses council needed to build were no longer valid and so confused matters.
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