The Planning Committee of North West Leicestershire Council is scheduled to consider a significant outline planning application for residential development at Broom Leys Farm. The meeting will also address other planning matters as presented in the Head of Planning and Infrastructure's report.

Residential Development at Broom Leys Farm

A key item for discussion is an outline planning application for the partial demolition of existing buildings and the construction of up to 300 dwellings at Broom Leys Farm, 59 Broom Leys Road, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 4DD. The proposal includes vehicular access from Broom Leys Road, provision of open space, landscaping, and associated earthworks, with all matters reserved except for access. The recommendation is to permit the development, subject to conditions and a Section 106 agreement.

The report pack details that the site is located outside the defined limits to development and has been called in for determination by Councillor French due to highway concerns, impact on the local community, and environmental considerations, including flood risk. The proposed development is intended to include 20% affordable housing, comprising 80% social rent and 20% affordable home ownership, alongside 5% custom/self-build plots.

Significant financial contributions are proposed as part of the Section 106 agreement, totalling over £4.7 million. These contributions are earmarked for various local services and infrastructure, including primary and SEND education at Broom Leys School and Forest Way School, civic amenity facilities at Coalville Household Waste and Recycling Centre, Coalville Library, transportation improvements along the A511 and the Broom Leys Road Cycle Way, health services at local surgeries, on-site public open space and play space, off-site active travel infrastructure, off-site sports provision for a new 3G pitch, and contributions towards Leicestershire Police fleet vehicles and technology. Additionally, the development is expected to achieve a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain.

The report outlines extensive consultation responses, including objections from Whitwick Parish Council and Leicestershire County Councillor Smith regarding highway issues, environmental impacts, and the site's countryside location. Numerous third-party representations also raise concerns about the principle of development, residential amenity, design, highway impacts, ecology, and the capacity of local infrastructure.

The assessment within the report considers national and local planning policies, including the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the adopted North West Leicestershire Local Plan (2021). It addresses the principle of development within the context of the settlement hierarchy and the site's location within an Area of Separation. The report also examines the loss of agricultural land and existing employment uses, the impact on landscape character, design considerations, housing mix, neighbour amenities, air quality, highway impacts, ecology and biodiversity, landscaping, flood risk and drainage, and developer contributions.

The report notes that the site is identified within the emerging Local Plan as part of a draft allocation (Policy H3c) for residential development. It also addresses concerns about prematurity, concluding that granting permission would not prejudice the plan-making process. The report highlights that while the site is within an Area of Separation, it makes a secondary contribution to maintaining separation between Coalville and Whitwick, and the proposed development would retain significant open space and landscape structure.

Technical assessments regarding highway safety and capacity, air quality, ecology, flood risk, and heritage have been undertaken. The report indicates that no statutory consultees have raised objections that cannot be addressed through proposed conditions, Section 106 obligations, or the reserved matters process. The report concludes that the benefits of delivering housing, including affordable and self-build options, alongside economic and social infrastructure improvements, outweigh the limited harm identified.

The report also mentions the potential temporary use of part of the site as a construction compound for the A511 Growth Corridor Scheme, noting that this is a material consideration but is not expected to prejudice the delivery of the residential development or the highway improvement scheme.