Proposed Planning Developments - Countesthorpe

STATEMENT FOR GILLAM BUTTS APPLICATION 24/0004/FUL
BLABY DISTRICT COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE MEETING 8TH MAY 2025 (THE APPLICATION WAS APPROVED BY BLABY DISTRICT COUNCIL AT ITS PLANNING COMMITTEE ON 8TH MAY 2025)

Before I begin, the Parish Council wants it recording in the Minutes, that it is strongly disappointed that this meeting has been called on the day of the national remembrance of the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. This is disrespectful to those who wish to remember this once in a lifetime event but feel obligated to attend this meeting. This even goes against the national directive for parish councils and the community to mark this event.
And now for the reason we are here.

Countesthorpe Parish Council strongly objects to this application.

All and every reason for refusing developments, reasons acknowledged by your officers as being completely valid and rational, have fallen on deaf ears. The need for yet more housing and the fear of appeal costs have overridden sanity and common sense.

How many times must we hear the words ‘tilted balance’ and hey presto, as if by magic, all the reasons why these developments should not be built simply disappear and these proposals are acceptable? Except the proposals are not acceptable, the problems won’t disappear, they will simply get worse. The tilted balance approach rides roughshod over every policy put in place to protect communities and environment from inappropriate development.

Countesthorpe’s excessive contribution to housing – ignored.
Countesthorpe’s already totally inadequate infrastructure – ignored.
Countesthorpe’s now regular flooding disasters, flooding which includes sewerage it must be said – ignored.

The Leicestershire Highway Design Guide states that no more than 150 dwellings would normally be served from a single point of access. And now your officers want 247 dwellings to be served by one entrance to the busy main route through the village. An entrance which is adjacent to a zebra crossing serving the local primary school. An accident waiting to happen. (and we note that the Road Safety Audit was carried out during the quiet time of 12.15 pm to 12.45 pm!)

Developers have consistently given assurances that their foul water drainage and surface water run-off will not have an impact. Recent events have proved these to be spurious promises. And we’ll be given the same, meaningless assurances this time round too.

And to cap it all, the report states “The site will likely build out over a number of years”!!
Our community is supposed to be protected from unsustainable development – this is not happening.
Where does that leave us? In total despair that our elected councillors are not looking after our interests.

As a village we have already supplied, and are being forced into over supplying, far more than our share of Blaby's housing need. This will already be enough to make our village unworkable. Forcing us to accept yet more housing without having the opportunity to see the results of the two developments you have already recently approved, will cause untold harm to this community. You are not looking after the present population, let alone any future population and this development is certainly not sustainable.
Your officers' loyalties lie with the government but your responsibilities as Councillors are to your residents. This doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion. We are a democracy. You have the freedom to vote as your conscience dictates. Indeed, you were encouraged to do this by your officers last time we were here.
This application should be refused.

However, since this application has been recommended to you for approval by the planning officer, we would ask the Committee to defer its decision for the following reasons:-

Firstly, that a more realistic updated traffic assessment is carried out at a peak time to include 3.15pm to 3.45pm in school term time, at the junction of Hallcroft Avenue and Station Road to gain a more accurate assessment of the impact on that area for both pedestrians and drivers.

Secondly, we note that there appears to be a lack of clarity surrounding the issue of the foul drainage and connection to the sewerage system. This was a key concern raised by existing residents and should have been given more prominence in the report. Despite the officer’s report suggesting that this comes under a separate regime, we insist that there is a condition imposed prior to giving this your approval, to ensure that there is no adverse post build impact on existing households.

Thirdly, there should be time to properly assess the damage which will be caused by those developments recently approved. No further decisions should be made with regard to development in Countesthorpe until we have the results of the Flood Authority investigation into recent flooding disasters, which included sewage egress.
Countesthorpe must not become the whipping boy of Blaby District Council's lack of a local plan. You are putting our health and wellbeing, and indeed our lives, at risk.

It’s time to put a stop to this madness.

 STATEMENT MADE TO BLABY DISTRICT COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE - 28TH NOVEMBER 2024 

The Parish Council was obviously disappointed that the application was approved by the District Council at its Planning Committee Meeting on 28th November. The Parish Council made representation at the meeting as follows:- 

"Our comments today are brief. That does not mean we support this development, quite the opposite in fact!
But sadly, we have exhausted all we can say as a Parish Council and are here today to give our support to local residents who are just as exasperated as we are.
It is extremely disappointing that despite 611 objections together with concerns expressed by the Parish Council and residents at the District Council’s Committee meeting in October, this development is being recommended for approval.
The reduction in numbers to 35 dwellings per hectare is still a long way off from the District Council’s own assessment for the site. As part of its call for sites in the Local Plan, Blaby District Council proposed 30 dwellings per hectare. We also note the lack of consistency in terms of density in relation to existing nearby residential areas. For example, Beechings Close which is 27.5 dwellings and Waterloo Crescent which is 31 dwellings per hectare. The Parish Council questions whether the District Council genuinely believes that this reduction of 20 dwellings is sufficient, or is accepting this figure without question. The Parish Council would prefer to see this figure lowered even further, if this development must be approved.
And who is to say, that if the application is approved and detailed applications are submitted of the design of the dwellings, that they won’t be 2.5 storey properties – with no reduction in potential vehicle ownership, and no reduction in potential vehicle movements navigating the narrow stretch of Willoughby Road and poorly designed and potentially dangerous double mini-roundabout junction?
Overall, this insignificant reduction does not contribute in any way to reducing the adverse impact on the character and appearance of the area, the local infrastructure and services nor in fact provide new residents with the access to facilities and services they would hope for when buying their new home. Therefore, the Parish Council’s original objection and concerns still remain.

It is noted from page 76 of the reports pack that, at the request of committee Members in October, Severn Trent Water was re-consulted. Whilst we acknowledge that a response from Severn Trent has finally been obtained, we are extremely concerned that this application was recommended for approval before this information was provided.

We note that Severn Trent request that a hydraulic modelling exercise is undertaken to predict possible areas of flooding and pollution and insist that this is undertaken by the Applicant before this application is permitted.

The Parish Council also note that Severn Trent Water was re-approached by the applicant. Unfortunately, Severn Trent Water’s response came as no surprise whatsoever. It is basically a wait and see approach. Once the houses are built, the damage is done with even more pluvial flooding and surface water run-off and increased pressure on the sewerage network. Surely, prevention is better than cure and a preventative approach is necessary to avoid such problems.

There is no acknowledgement in Severn Trent Water’s responses of the existing problems. Residents speak to us about how surface water run-off has reached their properties, not to mention the issues with sewage entering the foul water systems of their properties over recent years. We continue to urge them to record these incidents as evidence that the systems are not working.

Will the proposed balancing ponds cope with the water run-off, years down the line when there is even further development? Well, that is a very good question. This is a further example of the perils of piecemeal development without substantial improvements to the drainage, sewerage systems and overall infrastructure.

Unfortunately, many of the original concerns raised by the Parish Council remain unanswered:-

How the roads through the village will cope with the additional vehicular traffic?

How safe will the roads and pavements be for pedestrians and cyclists?

How far will the new residents need to travel to take their child to school or go to a local shop?

Will they be able to get an appointment at the Health Centre?

And all this is made worse by the cumulative impact of all the other planned housing in Countesthorpe and neighbouring villages, not to mention the hundreds of houses in the locality still at application stage.

What more can we say?"

COUNTESTHORPE PARISH COUNCIL STATEMENT TO BLABY DISTRICT PLANNING COMMITTEE – WITH REGARD TO PLANNING APPLICATION 24/0001/OUT

Outline planning application for the development of up to 205 dwellings (access only) with vehicular access point from Willoughby Road, with all other matters (relating to appearance, landscaping, scale and layout) reserved | Land East of Willoughby Road, Countesthorpe

You will recall us being here in July when 170 houses were approved for Foston Road. Now a further 205 are recommended for approval at the opposite end of the village, yet again on a site not allocated for development. Are you really going to increase our contribution even further by approving this application?

You must be aware of our lack of school places, employment opportunities, transport options, bank, post office, parking spaces, leisure centre etc. And of the pertinent comments made by 612 residents who objected to this application. We fear you will ignore them too.

You will also be very aware of our highways infrastructure, already at breaking point.

Previously someone remarked that you can’t use a development to mend a broken infrastructure. A development, however, can make an already broken infrastructure immeasurably worse. This application should not be approved until extensive improvements have been made to mitigate against the further harm this development will cause. Please refer to Policy CS11.

As always, the LHA say that the impacts of the development on highway safety would not be unacceptable, when considered cumulatively with other developments, the impacts on the road network would not be severe. We would like to ask “At what point would the cumulative impacts become severe?” Apparently, not after the Foston Road development, nor this development. What about Gillam Butts, a further 50 houses awaiting determination. When exactly!

The local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for the south of Leicestershire shows that the entire length of Station Road in Countesthorpe has been given a poor walking and wheeling score. Significant improvements are needed on this, the main route through the village. Anyone who has walked or cycled in Countesthorpe will tell you of the horrors of narrow roads, even narrower pavements and of buses and lorries whizzing past centimetres away from our shoulders.

The LHA is satisfied that walking is a viable means of travel for future residents. Very unlikely. You can't seriously believe that parents will walk all through the development, down the footpath to Beechings Close, and all the way to the school with young children? They will drive. No parent will risk their child’s safety on our roads and pavements for any longer than necessary. They will drive. No matter if there are cycle spaces at their homes. No matter how many pathways are provided to and from the development. They will drive. Imagine walking that distance to the Health Centre whilst ill. They will drive. And, when they do drive, they will have to navigate a poorly designed double-mini-roundabout junction which we believe is dangerous and unfit for purpose. Will it even have an official pedestrian crossing?

New developments should seek frequent, accessible and comprehensive public transport links to higher order centres. Good luck with that. You can give people as many bus passes as you like but unless they work on the 85 bus route it’s totally pointless. They will drive.

By requesting alleviating measures at junctions at Hospital Lane and South Wigston, the Highways department acknowledge they expect increased vehicle movement. Of course they do. People WILL drive, and through a Countesthorpe already bursting at the seams.

The Local Flood Authority also has no objection. They can say that an area that has already flooded is low risk, but they can’t foretell the horror that awaits homeowners as yet more housing leaves an impermeable footprint on the landscape. Last week we experienced the second one-in-100-year flooding event within 9 months, bringing many local routes to a standstill. And again this week, more misery created by flooding. We are not experiencing an exceptionally wet winter, autumn has only just begun! Should the need for more housing outweigh the safety and peace-of-mind of existing residents?

Condemning residents to further carnage, your Future Site Connectivity comments suggest that you are actually supporting increasing this horror by filling in the gaps and expanding even further into the countryside! Which, then, moves that precious countryside even further away from current residents.

The Parish Council notes that plans will now include a service road, giving access to future development and that proposed allotment space will be relocated within the site. We are disappointed this significant change was agreed without consultee or public consultation.

The developer will no doubt say that people need houses, some will be affordable and in a pleasant space. True. Must they be in Countesthorpe where the infrastructure is already at breaking point? Surely there must be better places to put all these houses for which you’ve failed to provide a plan.
Chairman, please direct the Committee to use common sense and refuse this application.

Outline planning application for a residential development of up to 205 no. dwellings (access only)

Land East of Willoughby Road, Countesthorpe 

Planning application number 24/0001/OUT

To view the documents, visit Blaby District Council's Planning Portal website and enter the application number.

(Please note that this application is outline only, so if it is approved, there would be further applications giving details about the housing designs, landscaping etc)  

 COUNTESTHORPE PARISH COUNCIL STATEMENT TO BLABY DISTRICT PLANNING COMMITTEE – 25TH JULY 2025 WITH REGARD TO PLANNING APPLICATION 23/1071/OUT – 170 DWELLINGS AT FOSTON ROAD/LEICESTER ROAD, COUNTESTHORPE

Countesthorpe Parish Council earnestly requests that you refuse this application.
The report makes it clear that your officers are very aware of most of the reasons why Countesthorpe should not have further housing but nevertheless recommend the application is approved, ignoring our concerns and those of 700 residents.

Setting aside a few minor issues to fulfil the housing requirement may be acceptable but not a whole raft of major issues!
Countesthorpe has already exceeded its minimum requirement for housing. Allowing this development would further exceed this requirement.
This overprovision of residential development within the non-PUA, far in excess of the minimum requirement for one of the Larger Central Villages, will cause harm to the spatial strategy which cannot be mitigated by the needs of the 5-year land supply.

Particularly as this site is not an allocated site for housing development and is located outside of the Settlement Boundary of Countesthorpe on land designated as Countryside on the Blaby District Local Plan Policies Map (2019).
While you acknowledge that there are no key employment sites, it is also true that Countesthorpe does not have access to a range of transport modes nor does it have a good functional relationship with higher order centres. It merely has one bus service which runs between South Wigston and Leicester, unreliable since the closure of the South Wigston depot.

Buses are frequently late or cancelled, especially when flooding occurs at Crow Mills. This does not fulfil the imperative to reduce the need to travel by car.
Policy CS11 states that the Council will work to ensure that development provides the necessary infrastructure, services and facilities to meet the needs of the community, and mitigate any adverse impacts of development (including transport CS10)

While it can be seen that funds may be provided to meet the immediate effects of the development in terms of health, education, sport, sewage etc, the only highways infrastructure improvement (apart from the roundabout necessitated by the development itself) is directed towards South Wigston and Hospital Lane.

No highway improvements have been suggested for Countesthorpe itself, while the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan for the south of Leicestershire shows that the entire length of Station Road in Countesthorpe has been given a poor walking and wheeling audit score and marked in red, making it clear that significant improvement is needed on this, the main route through the village.

You have not given sufficient weight to flooding risks.

The Blaby District Council Joint Strategic Flood Risk Assessment reports that flood risk, associated with both surface water runoff and groundwater flooding, is a potential threat.

At a recent Parish Liaison meeting it was clearly demonstrated that, of parishes within the district adversely impacted by flooding in January this year, only Countesthorpe was impacted solely by surface water runoff.

In their flood risk assessment, the applicant admits that areas of standing water were seen across the proposed development site. Countesthorpe regularly suffers considerable disruption from flooding, limiting travel in and out of the village which, at times, is completely cut off.

Any increase in the impermeable footprint is likely to further exacerbate surface water and groundwater drainage problems and increase flood risk.
The objective of sustainable development can be summarised as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Given the existing overprovision of development, the impossibility of improving the highways infrastructure within the village and the high risk of surface water flooding, as well as lack of primary school places, unreliable public transport, and insufficient parking and leisure facilities, it is clear that any further development could not even meet the needs of the present and would negatively affect future generations.

It is therefore not sustainable development. It is also clear that these adverse impacts would significantly outweigh the benefits.

Whilst true that if you overdevelop Countesthorpe, causing irreparable harm, this would contribute towards the Council’s 5-year supply of housing, it is our belief that the inadequacies of the infrastructure in Countesthorpe make it imperative that the needs of the 5-year land supply be met elsewhere.

Serious measures must be taken to improve our services and infrastructure prior to any further development taking place in Countesthorpe.

In addition, my Council does not consider that any shortfall in housing supply justifies the loss of open countryside and the adverse impact on the character, appearance and amenity of the village.

Finally, when flooding puts homes under water and we cannot get out of the village, when someone is killed on the roads because the pavements are too narrow and there is simply too much traffic, please remember that we did bring these concerns to your attention as forcefully as we could.
Outline planning application for the development of up to 170 dwellings (Use Class C3) with vehicular access points from Leicester Road and Foston Road and associated highway improvements, with all other matters (relating to appearance, landscaping, scale and layout) reserved.

Outline planning application for the development of up to 170 dwellings (Use Class C3) with vehicular access points from Leicester Road and Foston Road and associated highway improvements, with all other matters (relating to appearance, landscaping, scale and layout) reserved.

Land Adjacent to Leicester Road and Foston Road, Countesthorpe  

Planning Application Number 23/1071/OUT 

(Please note that this application is outline only, so if it is approved, there would be further applications giving details about the housing designs, landscaping etc)  

To view the documents, visit Blaby District Council's Planning Portal website and enter the application number. 

The deadline for responses is 13th February 2024.  

 Residents may be aware from receiving a leaflet that Redrow Homes are carrying out a pre-planning application consultation on a proposed development of 100 new homes at land off Cosby Road. Please find attached a leaflet here.

Please note that this is not currently at planning application stage, so if you have any comments these should be made to the contact details on the leaflet.

The developer will be holding a face to face public consultation exercise in the Countesthorpe Library from 2.30pm to 6.30pm on Tuesday 16th April. 

Letter from Countesthorpe Parish Council to Alberto Costa

Response from Alberto Costa to Countesthorpe Parish Council 

You can submit your application via the District Council's Planning Portal - here is a step by step guide. PLEASE NOTE THAT AS OF 15TH FEBRUARY IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSES VIA THE PLANNING PORTAL.  YOU ARE ADVISED THEREFORE TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSES BY EMAIL at:-

 to planning@blaby.gov.uk indicating the planning application number and Blaby District Council's planning officer dealing with the case.  

Or write to: 

Blaby District Council, Planning, Council Offices, Desford Road, Narborough, Leicester LE19 2EP 

Full planning application for the development of 51 dwellings and associated infrastructure.

Land off Gillam Butts, Countesthorpe  

Planning Application Number 24/0004/FUL

 To view the documents, visit Blaby District Council's Planning Portal website and enter the application number.  

Closing date for comments - 14th February 2024 

We have attached this guide for residents who may find it helpful in how to respond to planning applications. 

Here is a link to Blaby District Council's Planning Page which includes the relevant Local Plan documents for which developers refer to.

Blaby District Council - District Wide Maps of Assessed Sites

Blaby District Council -  Site Assessment of Local Plan