'Time for rethink' says Harborough MP after county council criticises district's Local Plan

The Local Plan is a document setting out where development can and cannot take place. The new plan followed a controversial decision to take on Leicester’s unmet housing need in December 2023.

Changes to housing targets were announced last year while the planning process was underway. But, the council, despite opposition, decided to press on before the knowing the details of the changes. It argued fast-tracking the plan to meet the June 2025 deadline would mean better control over infrastructure an decreased risk of speculative housing developments.

But the draft plan, currently out for consultation, has been called “premature and unsound” by county council officers, with “substantive issues” regarding transport, education provision, and health infrastructure raised in relation to the plan.

Mr O’Brien said: “I warned plans for the government-promoted New Town at Great Glen would overload the A6, with thousands of extra homes, but only a single lane of traffic going north into the city. It seems that county officials have the same concerns at on official level.

“I also warned the decision to rush the plan on a ‘fast track’ basis would lead to problems, and that’s exactly what has happened, with county council officials linking the problems to the ‘rush’ to get the Local Plan approved under the existing planning system.

“The county are warning provision for public transport has not been properly considered by the district and it’s vital to fix that as with so many more houses the area will grind to a halt otherwise.”

He added money from housebuilding was focused too much on council housing rather than infrastructure and service improvements.

He said the ‘rebuke’ from the county council could be a helpful opportunity for a rethink.

He added: “I have some sympathy for the district, as the Labour government have just increased our housing target even further, raising the numbers in Harborough by 42 per cent while cutting them in Leicester by 36 per cent, and also cutting numbers in Labour-run London. This is making a difficult situation almost impossible and is completely unfair.”

A Harborough District Council spokesperson said it understands the residents’ concerns but is standing by its Local Plan.

They added: “The district and county council continue to work in close partnership to ensure the new proposed Harborough District Local Plan 2020-2041, that is currently out for public consultation until May 6, is robust and the right plan for the district.

“There is no new town planned but there are proposals for development in and around Great Glen which include proposals for 400 homes in Great Glen and 1,200 homes on land south of Gartree Road within Harborough district to 2041. Further homes are planned in the period beyond 2041. The council understands residents’ concerns around infrastructure, and this was clear from discussions at the consultation session at Great Glen on April 1

“Work will continue to ensure the right package of supporting infrastructure covering highways, schools, health services and flooding is in place to support the delivery of the new proposed Local Plan. This is entirely consistent with normal local plan making processes whereby the plan continues to develop and has a number of stages to go through.

“The purpose of the consultation is to receive feedback from residents which will be reviewed by officers and if approved by council, ultimately a planning inspector. It is positive to hear that the MP understands and has sympathy with the council in carrying out its job to ensure the district has a local plan in place as quickly as possible to prevent years of unwanted speculative development on sites and in places that communities and residents do not want.

“The Local Plan and supporting documents are available to view and respond to at www.harborough.gov.uk/localplan. Details of remaining drop-in sessions for residents are also listed, and we strongly encourage all residents to attend them if they have any questions on the consultation.”

Senior Conservative councillor Phil King, who is the local councillor for the Kibworths ward, has offered his full support to the MP.

He said "When the draft plan was considered at the extraordinary council meeting in early March, despite multiple serious concerns, the administration just carried on regardless. Many of the comments made then, by concerned residents and councillors, are similar to those which have now been made by officials at the county council.

“I voted against this draft plan because I believed that the worst thing we can do is rush it through, but that’s exactly what has happened. A process which usually takes three years, was shortened to 15 months. The administration’s decision to use a drastically reduced timescale meant that oversight and scrutiny of key evidence, presumptions and assumptions was drastically reduced, and now we can all see the results.

“But not only is this draft plan seriously flawed, as the county council senior officials have outlined, but so is the consultation process. Despite spending £3.1 million of taxpayers’ cash, reports are coming in that a household flyer outlining how residents can respond and dates for drop-in events, which was promised to be sent to every household, before this started, has had a somewhat haphazard delivery, with many residents either not receiving it, or only after their nearest drop-in events had been and gone."

The draft Harborough Local Plan is currently subject to an eight-week public consultation, which runs until 9am on Tuesday, May 6. People can have their say on https://www.harborough.gov.uk/localplan