Plans for 4,000 new homes near airport revealed

Plans for 4,000 new homes on farmland near Leicester Airport have been unveiled.

Developers Urban & Civic Homes England have earmarked 931 acres (377 hectares) of land to the east of Oadby and north of Great Glen for the major scheme.

Planning documents lodged by the firm with Harborough District Council suggest the homes, if approved, would be built between 2028 and 2045.

Residents have said they will fight to stop the scheme going ahead.

Peter Scott, who represents Great Glen on the district council, said: "People are pretty horrified by this proposal.

"Great Glen has already had a large amount of housing with proposals going through at speed.

"We just don't think this is the right site for such a huge scheme.

"We would have to lose so much green wedge and we do not think the roads would be able to cope.

"And then there is is the fear of flooding which has already affected Great Glen badly.

"This is at a very early stage, but people will fight tooth and nail to stop this."

In a report sent to planning officers, the developer said its masterplan included about 4,000 homes, specialist accommodation for older people as well as three primary schools and a secondary school.

The proposed site straddles the boundary of Harborough District Council and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council and it is anticipated identical planning applications will be lodged with each authority at a later date.

The developer said the site had been identified for potential development as part of the government's New Homes Accelerator Programme which aims to provide 1.5m homes over the course of the current parliamentary term.

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