Harborough Council Approves Controversial Local Plan

0:00Harborough District Council in Leicestershire has approved its local plan, paving the way for thousands of new homes, shops, schools, and roads. The big flashpoint is a proposed site south of Gartry Road, set for around 4,000 homes with about 3,000 in the district and 12. 100 expected by 2041. Despite pushback, the council voted on March 16th to send it to the government. The plan guides all feature development in the area, but not everyone agrees it's the right path. Earlier this week, councillors debated it heatedly, with some highlighting risks to traffic and infrastructure along the busy A6 corridor. Local residents and conservative councillor Phil King for the Kibworths ward voiced strong objections calling the plan flawed and risky for communities. King argued it echoes a much larger rejected eco-town proposal from 2008 called Penbury, concentrating too much growth in one spot. Council leaders like cabinet member Simon Galton pushback, saying they reviewed detailed

1:03reports on traffic, schools, and deliverability. They clarified that an independent advisor called not submitting the plan irrational, not the residents themselves, and stressed this site as far, smaller than Penbury's 15 to 20,000 homes. Now the plan heads to the secretary of state for review by a planning inspector who will weigh in with recommendations before any final call. From your city, powered by AI, this is Lester News Today.