MAJOR plans to build 2,750 new homes and create employment space for some 2,500 jobs next to Lutterworth have been approved.
Harborough District Council (HDC) planning committee last night voted five to four to approve Leicestershire County Council’s planning application.
The site known as Lutterworth East Strategic Development Area (SDA) is identified in the Harborough Local Plan as a key area for new housing in the district.
The 550-acre development will be on land east of the town and the M1, and would include more than 100 hectares of green space – approximately half of the site – including a community park, playing fields, allotments, woodland and new ecological habitats.
The site will also be home to 23 hectares of retail and business space which is set to create around 2,500 jobs.
And there will be a community hub – with the potential for shops, restaurants, cafes, community hall and other facilities – together with two new primary schools.
Foot and cycle paths will connect the site to Lutterworth town centre. Improvements to main roads and junctions are also planned, including a new M1 bridge, and a new spine road.
The scheme will also ensure the protection of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) known as Misterton Marshes, the River Swift and Thornborough Spinney.
Approximately 1,260 of the new homes are expected to be built by 2031.
HDC leader Coun Phil King said: “This key development of the Local Plan will not only provide extensive open space, it will also provide homes to benefit local families and, with 40 per cent of homes being affordable, it will help those struggling to find a place to live.
“It will create jobs locally so people can work close to where they live, and it will deliver off-site improvements to sport and recreational facilities in the area. Importantly, traffic modelling shows that the new spine road will result in a significant reduction in traffic through Lutterworth town centre.”
HDC planning committee had deferred a decision on the application in April to consider late representations made on behalf of University Hospitals Leicester.
