The future for Harborough district: 18,000 more houses?

A planning document suggests that Harborough should increase the number of new houses being built per year from 532 now, to 944 a year – a thumping 77 per cent increase.

The suggestion is contained in a document called: “Leicester and Leicestershire 2050: Our Vision for Growth.”

It deals with development from 2031 to 2050, and was prepared by all Leicestershire councils including Leicester City Council, and Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Parnership.

One of the major growth areas is along the proposed new A46 Expressway, which would run through the Harborough district north of Great Glen and Newton Harcourt.

The Vision for Growth says 40,000 new houses containing around 100,000 people could be built along the new A46, which would loop round the east and south of Leicester, before joining the M1 at a new junction 20A.

Around 18,000 of these new homes for around 45,000 new residents could be built in the Harborough district under these proposals.

Another growth area would be Lutterworth, which could take around 2,500 more homes, doubling post-2031 building already suggested under Harborough’s own district plan.

“Leicester and Leicestershire has huge potential for growth” the document says. “We want to increase the speed of housing delivery.”

The document was discussed at this week’s executive meeting of Harborough District Council.

The district council’s Phil King stressed: “This is a draft document. We’re not being asked to sign up to anything at the moment.

“But what we are being asked to take is too high. Other county areas like Charnwood and North West Leicestershire are not being asked to take anything like that.”

Cllr Simon Galton said: “I don’t see how we can sign up to this. It’s a mind-boggling scale of growth. This is to big an ask for our district.

Cllr Janette Ackerley said: “Lutterworth is not going to be able to cope... The number of houses that we are being asked to take because of a shortfall from other authorities is disproportionate.”

Council leader Neil Bannister said: “It’s a heavy load that Harborough is expected to take. The leadership is going to work very hard to try to push these numbers back.”.