Plans for 200 homes recommended for approval

Plans to build 200 homes on farmland near Leicester are being recommended for approval.

Bloor Homes Limited and The Ginns Farm Partnership are seeking outline planning permission for the development on land at Beeby Road, Scraptoft.

The application is due to be discussed at Harborough District Council's extraordinary planning committee meeting on Thursday.

A total of 59 objections have been raised against the proposals, including one objector who raised "serious concerns regarding the infrastructure and safety implications of this proposed development", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They added: "The junction of Main Street, Beeby Road, and Church Hill is currently unmanaged, leading to frequent near-accidents and reckless driving. With additional housing, traffic will only increase.

"A redesigned priority junction or controlled system must be implemented before new homes are occupied."

A second objector said: "I wish to object to this plan on the grounds that it will introduce several hundred new patients to the area at a time when local surgeries are running at full capacity."

The development is planned for about 10.66 hectares (26 acres) of agricultural fields and includes 4.79 hectares (11.8 acres) of open space, including play areas.

According to the plans, 80 properties would be classed as affordable housing.

Council officers said the development would provide employment opportunities, address the need for housing in the district, and deliver additional bus services for Scraptoft residents.

They added that the plans "demonstrate a safe and suitable access and, following mitigation, will not lead to a severe impact on the highway network".

However, the authority acknowledged the plan would "cause harm to the character and appearance of the countryside" of Scraptoft, but that on balance the potential harms were not "considered to significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits".

Leicestershire County Council, the local highway authority, said the impact of the development on the highway would "not be unacceptable".

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