Residents have banded together to oppose proposals for another 120 homes in their Leicestershire town. Those living in Oadby have responded en-masse to the inclusion of land to the south of Sutton Close in Oadby and Wigston Borough Council’s (OWBC) emerging local plan.
A local plan sets out where developments can take place in an areas, and is intended to protect communities from uncontrolled building. The fields off Sutton Close could take “at least” 120 new homes, council documents show.
If taken forward, the housing would be an extension of the existing Cottage Farm development, and would bring the total number of homes proposed for the area to around 720. Its suggested inclusion in the local plan has prompted strong reaction from residents who have come together to prepare their objection to the allocation.
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The statement, shared with LeicestershireLive, raised concerns over the loss of countryside, and the impact on the already struggling road network and local services. Signatories have said they understand that OWBC “undoubtedly faces pressure to meet its housing targets”, but added they do not believe this is an “excuse for making wrong planning decisions that would cause lasting damage”.
Residents said the roads around the site already experience “severe and ongoing traffic congestion” which is particularly bad at peak school times. They fear adding more cars to the road will exacerbate these issues and there is a “potential for increased risk to children”.
They added local schools have “on several occasions” written to parents to highlight concerns over traffic and parking. Some of the emails “followed complaints from residents, some of whom reported being unable to leave for work”, the objectors said.
There have also been concerns over emergency service access in the area, with residents claiming there were reports of an ambulance being “blocked from reaching an elderly resident due to severe congestion”.
“Adding at least 120 new homes, with the associated increase in vehicle traffic, will exacerbate [these issues] to an unacceptable and dangerous level,” residents said.
There are also “significant concerns about the capacity of existing local services to accommodate the increased population”, objectors continued. Schools are already experiencing higher demand than they can cope with, and patients struggle to get quick responses from local doctor surgeries, they added.
The objection said: “The council must not sacrifice long-term community well-being in a misguided attempt to meet targets at any cost. The focus must be on delivering the right development in the right places, not simply any development, regardless of the consequences.”
OWBC ran a public consultation on the draft local plan which closed on Friday, February 21. It will now compile and respond to all the representations received, before submitting everything to the Government’s planning inspectorate for inspection.
On the Sutton Close proposal, the draft local plan said a detailed transport assessment to consider the impact on nearby roads would be required before any development can take place. It also said the council would seek contributions towards schools, healthcare and community facilities would also be expected as part of any future development.
Of the homes, 20 per cent would need to be affordable housing. Meanwhile, on-site open space and sports areas would be requested, alongside a biodiversity net gain of 10 per cent.
