The site is located on the eastern edge of Wigston, on the south-eastern side of the wider Leicester urban area. It comprises four small agricultural fields that are sub-divided by a network of existing tree lined hedgerows.
The site’s northern boundary is delineated by Newton Lane, which provides access from the site towards the centre of Wigston and onwards to Leicester City to the north-west. Newton Lane currently provides the primary vehicular access into the site, via an existing field gate.
The site is located to the immediate east of the Wigston Meadows Phase 1 development that is now completed, and to the north of the committed Wigston Meadows Phase 2 development that is currently being delivered. Therefore, the development of the site, alongside land to its immediate south, would effectively comprise a third phase of Wigston Meadows. That has been recognised by the Local Planning Authority, who propose to allocate the site and land to the south for strategic residential development in its emerging Local Plan.
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Oadby & Wigston Borough Council is preparing a New Local Plan. The council has identified the site in the Regulation 19 draft of the new Plan under Allocations Policy 2 (APC2) as a proposed development site to contribute to meeting the Borough’s housing need.
The Government has recently published an updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which outlines the importance of increasing the supply of housing to respond to the significant affordability crisis across the country. In that context, the Government expects Oadby and Wigston to deliver 389 new homes per year; compared to the previous target of 240 homes per year.
The NPPF also requires that local authorities are able to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. This is the amount of land that the Council must identify to ensure there are sufficient deliverable sites for residential development over the next five years. Oadby and Wigston Borough Council cannot currently demonstrate this requirement.
The new Local Plan is required as the extant development plan for Oadby and Wigston is out of date, and it needs to take account of recent changes to national planning policy, notably reflecting the Government’s clear policy objective to boost the delivery of housing in response to the national housing crisis. In doing so, the Council has identified allocation sites, including the proposed development site at Newton Lane, Wigston, to meet its housing needs.
Alongside the ongoing process of preparing the Local Plan, Bloor Homes is preparing an outline planning application for the site, which will enable the delivery of new homes to contribute to addressing the council’s housing needs early in the plan period, at a site identified by the council to fulfil that purpose.
Informed by the site’s proposed allocation in the emerging new Oadby and Wigston Local Plan, Bloor Homes is preparing an outline planning application for sustainable residential development, which would provide:
- Up to 200 high-quality homes in a range of styles and tenures.
- Affordable housing provided in line with local planning policy requirements, in a mix likely to include homes for social rent as well as shared ownership properties that would appeal to first-time buyers.
- Energy-efficient homes built to be Net Zero Carbon-ready, incorporating air source heat pumps, solar panels, uprated insulation and EV charging points.
- Vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access into the site via a dedicated access with Newton Lane.
- A network of new walking and cycling links throughout the site, with links to the neighbouring Phase 1 and 2 developments with their associated school and local centre facilities.
- New landscaped public open space with a recreational focus, including a children’s play area and community orchard to the east of the site.
- Development set back from the north-western boundary to allow for a planted green corridor incorporating existing trees, planting and drainage to provide an attractive setting for the development.
- A view corridor towards All Saints Church will be maintained within the layout.
- The retention of the vast majority of existing trees and hedgerows, alongside extensive planting of new trees throughout the development.
- A sustainable drainage system to manage surface water and provide biodiversity enhancement.
The number of homes proposed in the Local Plan is based on a broad estimate which has not been informed by in depth technical studies to assess the capacity of the site. It is our view that a higher number of homes could potentially be accommodated by the site, and will be undertaking technical studies to inform an outline planning application and demonstrate the capacity of the site. Whilst a maximum of 200 homes is proposed at this stage, it may be that this number will reduce slightly as technical studies progress and when detailed proposals for the site are advanced at the Reserved Matters stage.
The site is identified as a proposed allocation in the emerging new Oadby and Wigston Local Plan which is undergoing Regulation 19 Consultation prior to being submitted to the Government.
It is not uncommon to start progressing planning applications for allocated sites once a Local Plan has been published for Regulation 19 consultation, which the new Oadby and Wigston Local Plan Review has. The emerging planning application will ensure housing delivery on a site allocated for that purpose at an early stage in the plan period. This will be critical in ensuring that the Council can maintain a robust housing supply position and protect unallocated sites from speculative developments that may seek to take advantage of a housing supply shortfall.
The Environment Agency’s Flood Map for Planning confirms that the whole site is located within flood zone 1 and is therefore at the lowest risk of flooding from rivers or streams. EA mapping also confirms that it is low risk from surface water flooding. Surface water from the site will be diverted to attenuation basins that are proposed on the northern side of the site, before discharging to the adjacent ditch at existing greenfield rates, ensuring that there is no adverse impact downstream. With appropriate planting, the proposed attenuation basins will also deliver biodiversity benefits through the provision of additional wetland habitat.
The primary vehicular access to the site will be provided via a new ghost island priority T-junction from Newton Lane to the north of the site. Facilities for pedestrians and cyclists will also be accommodated at the main access, providing direct access towards the centre of Wigston. Links to neighbouring Phases 1 and 2 of the Wigston Meadows development will also be accommodated where possible and beneficial, to aid connectivity between the various phases of the development.
The site is located within a reasonable walking and cycling distance of local facilities and services in the village centre of Wigston, as well as those that are being delivered within earlier phases of the Wigston Meadows development, and those that are due to be delivered in proximity to the site in due course. The site will also benefit from the existing bus services are accessible via Newton Lane, located north of the site. Bus routes 47 and 48 provide regular local connections between Leicester and Wigston. In addition, an existing bus service is located along Welford Road, one of the main road connections through Wigston, located to the west of the site. Bus route 49 runs along Welford Road and provides regular connections between Leicester City Centre, Wigston, Wistow, Kilby and Fleckney. South Wigston Train Station also provides services further afield to Birmingham and Cambridge.
A Transport Assessment will form part of the outline planning application. This will assess highway safety and capacity of the surrounding highway network to ensure that the development can be safely accommodated.
Affordable housing will provide opportunities for those on lower incomes to secure a home of their own. Affordable housing is anticipated to be provided in a mix of affordable rent and shared ownership homes, however this will be determined in consultation with Oadby and Wigston Borough Council’s Housing Team.
We are happy to work with the Borough Council to explore the potential for Local Occupancy Criteria to be applied to the affordable housing provision, ensuring that it is prioritised for people with local connections.
The neighbourhood will be gas-free, with all homes provided with air source heat pumps as standard. PV cells (solar panels) will also be incorporated, which along with the use of the latest materials and technique to maximise insultation, air tightness and heat recovery, will create an uplift in energy efficiency of 75-80%.
The new homes will incorporate sanitaryware and appliances that meet the highest water efficiency standards.
Electric vehicle (EV) charging points will be provided for all homes with on plot parking, together with access to communal EV charging points for the whole neighbourhood.
Vegetation cover is largely related to the hedgerows that border and sub-divide the site. There are no known Tree Protection Orders (TPO) or areas of ancient woodland located at the site.
It is expected that the majority of internal hedgerows and trees within the site will be maintained (save for losses as required to provide internal access) and will be utilised to structure the built form and provide an attractive setting for the development. The limited level of tree / hedgerow loss will be more than offset through the landscape scheme of new planting; thus increasing tree canopy cover across the site.
We are preparing an outline planning application. This is the first stage in the planning process which sets out broad principles of the development. If the outline planning application is approved by Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, we will then need to prepare a more detailed planning application called a Reserved Matters application, which looks at finer details such as architecture, layout, materials etc. Depending on the time taken in the planning process, we envisage that construction could start at some point in 2028, with development being delivered over circa three to four subsequent years.