Developers want to put up 1,500 new homes on the outskirts of a central England town.
Bloor Homes, Barwood Land and Jelson Homes want to construct new homes on the edge of Earl Shilton, between Leicester and Hinckley.
The developers have lodged documents about the plans with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council ahead of submitting a formal planning application.
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The area has been earmarked for housing in Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s local plan – drawn up to help it find enough land to meet Government-set house building targets.
It comes as the council’s leadership raised concerns about Government plans to overhaul the planning system, saying they fear it could lead to more homes going up with less public input into planning applications, less money going into infrastructure and fewer affordable homes being included.
The Lib Dem council said the current system was already either fit for purpose, or adaptable.
They warned: “The proposals will actually result in a significant transfer of decision making and power from local government to central government.”
They said the white paper includes a quicker timescale for new developments with “zones” categorising land into growth, renewal or protection – something that has never been tried before.
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They added: “Any areas that are labelled as growth are expected to have outline planning permission in place that would allow developers to create housing without councils debating the principle of the scheme.
“It is also proposed that central government will decide how many new homes are required in each council area and local councils will be asked to plan for the new homes, with no opportunity for local authorities and residents to influence how many new homes are built in their area.”
The plans for the Earl Shilton homes are on 160 acres of farmland next to a bypass to the south and east of the town.
Opponents of the scheme are worried about the loss of the undeveloped green space and the stresses thousands of new residents could put on the town’s existing infrastructure.
There are also fears roads in the area will become choked with traffic.
A report by the developers says the scheme, known formally as the Earl Shilton Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) and also as Weaver’s Field, sets out what they are promising to deliver.
This includes:
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- A new ‘local centre’ with shops.
- A new primary school with a 420 pupil capacity
- 27 acres of green space.
- 13 acres of business space – including offices, light industrial units and storage and distribution sites
Borough council planning officers have been looking at the potential environmental impacts of the development and say a full public consultation on the details of it will be carried out as part of the planning process when the final scheme is submitted.
Earl Shilton town councillor Richard Allen told LeicestershireLive: “There are mixed views about the SUE.
“Some people think “Oh it will never happen” but others believe we need new housing for young people and families, and the development will help the long-term future of the town centre.”