Initial Planning Obstacle Cleared for 350-Home Development

A proposal for the construction of hundreds of new residences, intended to connect two communities in Leicestershire, has successfully navigated its initial planning stage. A “screening opinion,” a procedural step to ascertain whether an environmental impact assessment is necessary for a planning application, was conducted concerning agricultural land situated between Blaby to the north and Countesthorpe to the south. Blaby District Council has determined that an environmental assessment is not required for the proposed 350-home project at Keepers Farm, located east of Winchester Road. Woods Hardwick Planning Ltd, the applicant, is now authorized to prepare an outline application for its scheme, which, if granted approval, would establish connections to both existing settlements. Documentation provided to the council indicates that the residential development would also feature an 8.47-hectare country park, public footpaths, and extensive landscaping. Furthermore, up to 88 of the residences are designated as “affordable”. The documents also asserted that the area was “well placed to absorb the impact of additional growth”. In its decision that no assessment was necessary, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that the council affirmed the impact of losing agricultural land would be addressed within the broader planning process. Natural England, acting as a consultee, commented that significant adverse effects on nature conservation sites or landscapes were “unlikely”. Blaby Parish Council expressed that it was “disappointed”, whereas Countesthorpe Parish Council stated a strong recommendation for the execution of an environmental assessment. Countesthorpe Parish Council further noted that an additional proposed development of up to 200 homes at Blaby Golf Range, situated opposite the current site, “must be assessed” due to the combined impact of 550 houses being deemed “significant”.