Anger over developer's plans to change bus route through large housing estate in Market Harborough

Developers are planning to make changes to a bus route through a large housing estate being built in Market Harborough.

Davidsons Homes are building 600 homes at the top of Kettering Road.

Part of that plan included a subsidised bus route looping through the estate, which it said would provide a service for new residents.

But now the developer has applied to Harborough District Council to make changes the bus route. It also seeks to delay creating a bike path down Kettering Road.

Harborough MP Neil O’Brien is calling on Harborough District Council to reject the application.

He said: “This is exactly the sort of behaviour that gives the big developers such a bad name.

“Developers make all these grand promises when they are applying for planning permission, but as soon as they’ve got it they start trying to back out of their promises, often to save themselves money.

“I hope the council will stand up to them and reject this proposal to back out of doing what they promised.

“The reason they say they want to withdraw the bus loop is that the road has been built too narrow. But having seen it for myself, you wouldn’t struggle to get a bus through. Indeed, the 33B bus route, which this would be added onto, already runs on roads that are much narrower than the width in the new development. There are also other options to get the bus into the new development too, so this is not at all a good reason to back out.”

But Davidsons Homes said that it is not axing the service, adding: "This planning application has nothing to do with removing the extension of the 33B bus service to serve our Little Bowden development.

"Irrespective of the planning decision, the bus service extension will remain. Davidsons Homes remain committed to facilitating this bus service.

"The bus route in question is an approximate 100m of new road which Davidsons Homes remain willing to build.

"The reason for the removal of this section of road is that it would join a section of road built by others which, by Leicestershire County Council standards, is too narrow to accommodate a bus. Therefore rather than construct a road that cannot be used, the new bus service will loop around the roundabout built by us and go back down Kettering Road. The precise location of the new bus stop on Kettering Road is still be decided by Leicestershire County Council."

The MP also claims the estate is being built without a clear path for people to walk into town, and says they could be forced to walk back on themselves and uphill before then walking down the Kettering Road.

He added: “I have walked around the development for myself with local residents and can see the problems this will cause. The developer promised to employ someone to promote sustainable travel options and encourage people to take up bus passes, but after two years in they haven’t done it.

“It is all a big missed opportunity. There is a lot of scope to help people walk, cycle or get the bus from this massive new estate, easing traffic pressure in town. They promised they would do all these great things but now want to back out to save money.”

His concerns have been echoed by the Little Bowden Residents Forum. Spokesman James Ward said: “Little Bowden Neighbourhood Forum are extremely concerned about Davidsons proposed planning variation, which seeks to remove, delay or degrade two of the promised sustainable transport measures at their development off the Kettering Road in Market Harborough.

“We strongly recommend the council planning committee rejects these retrograde proposals, which are also contrary to the HDC Climate Emergency Action Plan statement.

“The development has a number designs included to help towards sustainable travel but the majority have now been either been ignored, delayed, downgraded or deleted, potentially saving the developer many hundreds of thousands of pounds.”