en.Wedoany.com Reported - A large-scale residential development in Leicestershire, UK, has been approved, planning for up to 221 homes, a new school, and a replacement farmstead.
Bloor Homes submitted a hybrid planning application involving approximately 34.3 acres of agricultural land located north of Willow Road and along Cotes Road in Barrow upon Soar. The residential portion seeks full permission for homes ranging from one to four bedrooms, with 30% designated as affordable housing.
The outline part of the application includes a new primary school, situated at the northwest corner of the site along Cotes Road, with access requiring the partial demolition of several existing farmhouses. All farm buildings, including existing homes, are planned for demolition, with a new barn and house to be built for the landowner in the northern part of the site. The location and scale of the school have been a topic of discussion among the council, the Local Education Authority, and the site promoter during the preparation of the Charnwood Local Plan.
Charnwood Borough Council's planning committee voted in favor of the application last week. A report recommending approval stated that, subject to appropriate planning conditions and obligations, the scheme complies with policies on design, landscape, ecology, transport, and infrastructure, delivering substantial benefits including affordable housing, market homes, land and funding for a new primary school. The report also emphasized that these benefits carry significant weight in the planning balance. A design statement submitted on behalf of the applicant stated that the project aims to create "the most desirable place to live for the 21st century and beyond," reflecting desirable elements of local vernacular styles. The statement added that the development will follow high-quality design and best practice principles to create a townscape that is both diverse and harmonious with its surroundings, with the goal of achieving a development with a strong identity and unique sense of place while integrating with the existing community.
