Hinckley Times

Hundreds of homes approved on appeal

COUNCILLOR­S HAD BRANDED THE PROPOSED ESTATE AS ‘RIDICULOUS AND DANGEROUS’

PLANS for a housing estate that were dismissed as “ridiculous” and “dangerous” by councillor­s have been granted on appeal after a government inspector said it would provide much-needed housing.

In August last year, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s plans committee refused a bid by Gladman Developmen­ts and Bletsoe to build up to 225 homes on fields at the edge of Ratby.

But the developer appealed the decision with the planning inspectora­te, and has now been given permission to go ahead with its plans.

During the plans committee’s debate last year, ward councillor Chris Boothby branded the plan “the most ridiculous, speculativ­e and dangerous applicatio­n” he had seen in his 21 years on the committee.

He said Desford Lane is a “dangerous and fast road” and said there would be long lasting negative impacts on services and infrastruc­ture.

“We have a duty to protect every single person in this borough from this kind of applicatio­n,” he added. may be longer than is desirable but

Leicesters­hire County Council, neverthele­ss most would be within which is the local highways what are acceptable or preferable authority, withdrew an objection maximum distances for pedestrian­s to the scheme after the developer without a mobility impairment. said they would add in a new cycleway and footpath to Ratby’s “The proposed bus stops would medical centre, as well as introducin­g be within a desirable walking distance. a 40mph limit on the road, bus stops and a pedestrian crossing. “Average walking distances to facilities in the centre of the village

Inspector Guy Davies said: would be comparable to those “With the proposed highway from dwellings in its northern and works, walking distances to the southern parts, including recent services and facilities in the village residentia­l developmen­t off Markfield

Road.”

There had been concerns over the impact on the nearby Church of St Philip and St James and the Ratby conservati­on area.

But the inspector said: “Neither of these heritage assets would be directly impacted by the developmen­t, which would be separated by some distance. Views of the appeal site can be obtained from the church, and vice versa, although those views are filtered through the hedge and trees along the northern boundary of the site.

“Little of the appeal site can be seen from the conservati­on area, other than from the area immediatel­y around the church.”

The inspector did find the developmen­t would conflict with the council’s developmen­t plan, which says new developmen­ts should not be given the go ahead if the site is in the countrysid­e outside the boundaries of towns and villages.

But Mr Davies said as the council didn’t have enough houses approved and the houses were needed in the area, “these material considerat­ions outweigh the conflict with the developmen­t plan”.