Local Council Approves Modifications to Major Housing and Distribution Project

A local authority has sanctioned amendments to a significant development, permitting the construction of a logistics facility prior to thousands of new residences. Leicestershire County Council obtained development consent from Harborough District Council in 2020 to establish 2,750 new homes, with 40% designated as affordable. The initial plan featured warehousing with size limitations at the Lutterworth East site. Currently, the planning committee at Harborough District Council has authorized larger warehousing units and a revised goal for affordable housing ranging from 10-40%. The county council asserts the project would be financially unsustainable without these adjustments, attributing this to rising building expenses since the original planning permission was granted. South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa stated his intention to escalate the decision to the Secretary of State. Costa commented that the modifications to the plans would position Lutterworth “sandwiched between Magna Park to the west and a new logistics park to the east”. Lutterworth councillor Richard Nunn also expressed opposition against the proposals, asserting that the current Local Plan was being ignored. He was also apprehensive regarding the changes to the quantity of affordable homes slated for construction at Lutterworth East. He informed the assembly that this would result in a reduction from 1,100 affordable homes, to as few as 275. Those numbers were characterized by a council official as a “pessimistic worst-case scenario” – and it was highlighted that the affordable homes target would be subject to review as the development was built. The scheme is a significant component of the district’s current Local Plan. During the session, it was noted that if the county council deemed the project financially unfeasible and withdrew from it, the district would be compelled to identify alternative sites for the housing and industrial space. The county council indicates that, following the recent development consent, building activities might commence at Lutterworth East in 2026.