Charnwood Local Plan
Charnwood Borough Council has produced their updated local plan. The Charnwood Local Plan provides a strategy for the location and quantity of development required to support growth of the borough up to 2037. The Local Plan provides a framework to help deliver some of the Council’s top strategic priorities to create a thriving economy, healthy communities and safeguard the environment.
The plan also sets out how the borough will meet increased Government targets for new homes, as well as providing employment land and infrastructure.
The Charnwood Local Plan 2021-37:
- Identifies 154 hectares of employment land to support the creation of 8,900 jobs in the borough and to lead its pandemic recovery
- Meets the borough’s housing need - the target figure set by Government - by allocating land for the development of 1,111 new sustainable and well-designed homes each year up to 2037
- Focuses development towards intensifying and extending existing urban and suburban areas and larger villages, thereby protecting nearly 279 square kilometres of open countryside
- Plans for the critical mass of development needed to secure infrastructure - including five new schools at Loughborough, Shepshed, Barrow, Anstey and Syston - as well as health services, roads, and public transport networks
- Will bring in an estimated £200 million in Section 106 money to pay for other improvements to facilities and amenities
- Reflects the importance of the environment and conserving biodiversity, protecting heritage sites, creating open leisure spaces, and supporting healthier communities
- Carefully considers the effects of climate change and how to reduce its impacts, including flooding
- Makes effective use of the borough’s strategic infrastructure, including Loughborough University, the urban edge of Leicester and the International Gateway connection to the M1 motorway and East Midlands Airport.
The plan is now set to go before the full council to ask for their approval to go out for public consultation. Further details can be found here: https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/charnwood_local_plan_2021_37
If approved, the plan will go out for consultation in July.
The plan does include a large amount of housing to be built in Anstey, with the majority of this planned for Groby Road. This is also where the new primary school is also planned to be built. The plan can be viewed here: https://charnwood.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=138&MId=665
New Town Centre Hub
A Careers and Enterprise Hub has opened in Loughborough to help local people enhance their skills to access the careers market, progress in their existing careers or launch a new business idea. The Hub, which is run by specialist advisors from Loughborough College and Loughborough University, has opened thanks to a £750,000 funding boost through the Loughborough Town Deal.
The building was purchased by Charnwood Borough Council using the Town Deal funding and the Council worked closely with the College to get the project off the ground.
It is among one of the first projects in the UK to be completed using money from the Government’s Town Deal scheme which is designed to help regenerate town centres, boost businesses, and improve infrastructure and connectivity.
The Hub teams will offer advice, guidance, and support to help people develop their skills to boost the local and regional economy as it bounces back from the impact of Covid. The Loughborough College team is supporting local people by advising them on education and training pathways to boost their skills.
As well as education and training, the Hub team can advise on CV and letter writing, plus helping people sharpen their interview skills. For opening times and more information, please visit www.loucoll.ac.uk/careers-hub and to book a visit, email the team at [email protected].
Planning Permission
The planning application with Callington Construction Ltd on Anstey Lane continues. They have now put in an additional application to add further buildings on the site including those already built and which do not have current planning permission.
We have jointly submitted further comments and continue to push Charnwood Borough Council to get this application to the Plans Committee as soon as possible, so that a decision can be made.
We have also contacted the police regarding the over-weight vehicles travelling along Cropston Road. They have agreed to carry out some weight limit patrols in the area and we are grateful for their support.
Leicester City FC
Charnwood Borough Council is proposing to grant FA Cup-winning Leicester City FC the Freedom of the Borough. The honour, the highest the Council can bestow, would recognise the club’s incredible success in recent years and its connection to Charnwood.
The 2016 Premier League champions opened a £100 million training facility in the borough in 2020 at Seagrave and title-winning Leicester City Women FC are also based locally, playing home matches in Quorn.
The proposal will be considered by councillors on Monday 21st June and if approved, an extraordinary meeting of the Council will be held in September.
Anstey and Cropston Litter Wombles
Well done to everyone that took part in the inaugural litter wombles first outing. In 2 hours, they collected 11 bags of rubbish from around The Nook, Stadon Road and Leicester Road. Their next litter pick is already planned for the 27th June. If you would like to join, you can join on their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/124347599677073 or please contact one of us and we can pass your details onto the group. Please help us keep our villages clean and tidy.
Mayor Activities
Marie Curie – There is still time for you to sponsor us both as we take on the Marie Curie Peak District Trek on 24th July. This is one of Mayor’s (Cllr Baines) charities for his year in office. You can pledge your support for us both on the Mayor’s Just Giving website: https://www.justgiving.com/team/charnwoodmayor The team have so far raised £805 which is amazing, but we always want to raise more money for this great charity.
Cllr Baines attended a Loughborough Lions event at the Market in Loughborough on Saturday 12th June to see Vinod Soni ‘Brave the Shave’ and take off his beard for Macmillan Nurses having also walked the canal path from Leicester to Loughborough earlier in the day. It was great to see life return to the Loughborough market, with many stalls present, and lots of socially distanced and masked shoppers.
