Plans for 885 new homes approved for farmland

An application to build 885 homes on farmland in Leicestershire has been approved, seven years after it was first submitted.

Urban&Civic GE Estates Limited submitted plans for the homes on land north of Hinckley Road in Kirby Muxloe in December 2019.

The application was originally approved by Blaby District Council's planning committee in June 2023, subject to approval of the section 106 agreement, where developers make a payment towards local infrastructure improvements.

A new report confirms that the section 106 agreement has now been completed and signed.

The application site covers a total of 44 hectares of mainly farmland, equivalent to more than 61 football pitches, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Alongside the 885 homes, the plans – which have been approved in terms of the principle and amount of development – include demolition of existing buildings and development of public open space, land reserved for a primary school, landscaping and associated infrastructure.

A total of 207 objections were raised at the time of the 2023 decision, with concerns ranging from "enough houses being built in the area" to "green spaces supporting positive well being are being destroyed".

Other issues were raised regarding the impact on air quality, concerns about flooding, traffic on the A47 Hinckley Road, and pressure on existing services.

The decision notice approves the application alongside 52 conditions, including encouraging "early development" of the site, while giving the applicant sufficient time to submit more detailed (reserved matters) applications.

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