£1bn scheme to build 3,000 homes on edge of Lutterworth approved by five votes to four

The controversial Leicestershire County Council Lutterworth East blueprint was backed by five to four in a knife-edge vote at a virtual Harborough council planning committee meeting on Tuesday night.

The vast initiative – branded “virtually a whole new town” – dramatically squeezed through after being deferred in April after a bombshell last-minute submission by the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL).

A catalogue of speakers, both for and against the giant strategic development area proposal, spoke out as the ‘extraordinary’ crunch meeting ebbed and flowed almost three and a half hours.

High levels of noise and pollution would make life unbearable for people moving in to the sprawling new 2,750-home estate by the M1, councillors heard.

And a proposed new spine road linking the A4304, Gilmorton Road and the A426 was also blasted for being in the “wrong place” and splitting the community down the middle.

Andrew Furlong, the medical director of UHL, said the 550-acre scheme will have a “profound negative impact” on Leicester hospitals already stretched to the limit.

Sarah Prema, the executive director of strategy and planning for Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said about 5,500 more people would have to be seen by local GPs when the development is built.

She said Lutterworth East will have a serious impact on local health services – and more GPs as well as primary care teams will be desperately needed.

Lutterworth town councillors David Gair and Richard Nunn both insisted the immensely-ambitious application must be rejected.

But Cllr Phil King, who leads Harborough council, told the meeting: “This is a billion pound investment in Harborough district.

“It will deliver 1,261 homes before 2031.

“And there will be 1,100 new affordable homes for hundreds of families across Harborough.

“So consider the advice you have been given and vote to approve this development.”

Harborough councillors Janette Ackerley, Amanda Burrell, Peter James and Phil Knowles all voted to block the project saying they had too many doubts and concerns.

But they were out-gunned at the end of a long night by Neil Bannister, Sindy Modha, Amanda Nunn, Simon Whelband and Barry Champion as the clock nudged 10pm.

The blueprint will be on land east of Lutterworth and the M1 and will feature over 100 hectares of green space – half of the site – two new primary schools and employment space to create 2,500 jobs.

The scheme will also ensure the protection of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) known as Misterton Marshes, the River Swift and its tributaries, Thornborough Spinney, mature trees and hedgerows.

After the meeting, Cllr 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.”

He added: “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.”

Cllr Byron Rhodes, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for property, said: “I welcome the committee’s decision.

“There is much demand for new homes and this scheme locates them in the right place with the right community facilities.”

He stressed: “Sustainable design, community and life-long living are at the heart of our plans.

“And from first-time buyers and families to people looking for retirement living, the development would offer a broad range of high-quality houses, including around 1,100 affordable homes.

“We’re a responsible developer – and a green council – and the plan also incorporates a wide range of features designed to maximise renewable energy and support low-carbon living, underlining our commitment to tackling climate change.

“We’ll now consider how we want to progress the scheme, including funding options for the spine road.”

The gigantic development proposes:

A Community Park, playing fields, allotments, woodland, trees and hedgerows and new ecological habitats

· * Foot and cycle paths – connecting with Lutterworth town centre

· * 23 hectares of retail and business space - creating up to 2,500 jobs

· * Two new primary schools

· * Improvements to main roads and junctions to increase capacity, a new M1 bridge, and a new spine road

· * A community hub - with the potential for shops, restaurants, cafes, community hall and other local facilities.

Some 1,260 new homes are set to be built by 2031 and the rest will go up during the 2030s.