Approval Granted for Disputed 185-Home Development Near Leicestershire Village

A contentious plan for 185 residences situated at the periphery of a Leicestershire village has received official approval. Planning officials from Blaby, deliberating on the proposal located off Willoughby Road in Countesthorpe, issued permission to Davidsons Developments following a divided vote on Tuesday evening. Even though the project requested a reduced number of dwellings, scaled down from an initial 205, the submission continued to generate disagreement, evidenced by over 600 objection letters submitted. The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that worries had been expressed regarding the seven-acre project, particularly concerning insufficient infrastructure. Countesthorpe Parish Council was one of the entities that voiced opposition. In its official communication to Blaby District Council, the council stated: “You will read a lot of comments from residents about lack of school places, inability to get an appointment at the health centre, the long queues to get in and out of the village at peak times, lack of leisure facilities, flooding, sewage problems, the strength of roads, the width of the pavements, the danger on the roads. It further added: “They are real, lived consequences of Countesthorpe’s infrastructure being already overloaded.” Davidsons, the applicant, stated that the development would serve as an “extension” to Countesthorpe, and financial contributions towards local education, transportation, and other amenities would be provided to help lessen the effects of the new housing. Twenty-five percent of the project – specifically 46 residences – will be designated as “affordable” housing. The BBC Leicester social media channels include Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or through WhatsApp at 0808 100 2210. This content is copyrighted by BBC 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites and provides information regarding its policy on external linking.