Council reveals where hundreds more homes could be built in the Harborough district

HDC has published its draft Local Plan – a strategic document that sets out where development can and cannot take place.

The council said the draft plan, published yesterday (Wednesday, February 12), took into account the district’s requirement to build 657 homes per year between 2020 and 2036 in the district, and 534 homes per year between 2036 and 2041. That is compared to 557 homes a year under the 2019 Local Plan.

The document also sets out the council’s vision for transport and other infrastructure, and community facilities, over those years, and how it plans to preserve the district’s heritage and rural character. Councillors will now scrutinise the draft plan and debate its contents, before a final new plan is agreed.

The main sites earmarked for the latest round of further housing are:

• Market Harborough - 1,350 homes
• Land south of Gartree Road (Stretton Hall) - 1,200 homes
• Kibworth - 475 homes
• Broughton Astley - 475 homes
• Lutterworth - 320 homes
• Great Glen - 400 homes
• Fleckney - 150 homes
• Houghton on the Hill - 104 homes
• Husbands Bosworth - 105 homes
• Great Bowden - 100 homes

Speaking of the changes in the draft document compared to the existing Local Plan, a spokesperson for the council said: “The current Local Plan allocated a site known as Scraptoft North for development. It is proposed to no longer pursue this as an allocation for development in the draft new Local Plan.” They added: “The new Local Plan is putting forward other potential allocations nearby for consideration by councillors as part of their deliberations relating to the preparation of the draft new Local Plan.

“Development in Market Harborough and near Leicester and Oadby in particular will provide diverse housing, job opportunities and improved healthcare, education and recreation services. The district’s unique market towns and expanded employment hubs in Lutterworth, Market Harborough and near Oadby will boost the economy, with Magna Park continuing as a key logistics hub. The plan aims to create well-designed communities where families can live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.”

What the council says

Councillor Simon Galton, cabinet lead for planning, said the council had worked quickly enough on the plan to enable it to be drawn up under December 2023 Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) rules, which require the district to build fewer new homes than the new framework. He said: “Thanks to the decisions made by the council at the end of 2023 around progression of the local plan and ensuring adequate resources to do this quickly, we have been able to develop the plan under December 2023 Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This means the requirement for new homes in the district is around 2,000 fewer than would have been the case under the Government’s new December 2024 planning policy framework.

“We have worked hard to meet national requirements whilst exploring ways to protect our attractive district and valued communities. This is not just a plan about housing but a plan to shape places and make successful new communities for the future.”

Councillor Phil Knowles, leader of Harborough District Council, said: “We know housing growth can sometimes be challenging for communities but we need to deliver homes for future generations. It’s essential that we put in place an up-to-date local plan which complies with Government planning requirements as soon as possible. Only by doing this can we regain control over planning decisions and prevent unplanned speculative development.”

The draft plan and accompanying documents were published on the council’s website on Wednesday, February 12. To view the papers visit https://cmis.harborough.gov.uk/cmis5/Meetings.aspx and click on the link for 20 February 2025, Cabinet.

The draft Local Plan will go to HDC’s cabinet meeting on Thursday, February 20, and if approved, it will go to Full Council on Monday, March 3. If council agree, the draft Local Plan will then go to an eight-week public consultation in March 2025.

‘These life-changing proposals has been appalling’

However, Harborough MP Neil O'Brien says the draft Local Plan process has been 'appalling'.

He said: "The council’s local plan will mean monumental changes for our area. It will change our communities forever. Yet for something so important, the process that has led to these life-changing proposals has been appalling. It has been hopelessly untransparent all the way.

"Ordinary councillors have had no input into which sites were chosen. The leadership of the council has drawn up the plans and sought to avoid public discussion about choices between different sites. The list of which sites they were even choosing between was supposed to be out many months ago, but only appeared a couple of days ago. The plan-making process started with a terrible decision to take on extra overspill houses from Leicester, and since then we have seen every deadline missed along the way.

"In Harborough there are over a third more houses than there were in 2001. That’s a much faster rate of growth than the national average, and twice the rate of neighbouring Leicester. But despite all this the Labour government has decided to increase our housing target by 42 per cent, even as it cuts the target for London by 11 per cent and cuts the target for Leicester by 36 per cent. This means less brownfield regeneration and more concreting over valuable green spaces. When our plan is revised in a couple of years, it means the council will have to find even more sites to allocate for housing, on top of the ones allocated in this plan.

"Now that this process is finally becoming public, much too late in the day, I know that a lot of people will have strong views on the choices the council have made and on particular sites. Once this proposal goes out to consultation, I hope that as many people as possible will have their say. I am happy to meet groups of residents to talk about the plan.”