Bill Cullen MBA (ISM), BA(Hons) MRTPI Chief Executive

Please ask for: Planning Policy Direct dial/ext: 01455 238141 Direct fax: Email: planningpolicy@-bosworth.gov.uk Your ref: Our ref: Date: 12 March 2021

FAO: Catherine Hartley Group Manager – Planning & Economic

Dear Miss Hartley

Consultation on the Local Plan Options Document (January 2021)

Thank you for consulting Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council on the Blaby Local Plan Options Document. We look forward to a continuing positive and productive dialogue between our two authorities as we seek to serve the interests on the people who live and work here in the south of the County. I attach our response.

We welcome the continued desire to address strategic cross-boundary housing and employment issues as this will ensure that the plans of one authority do not have a negative impact on the other. As you are aware, the proposals for a Rail Freight Interchange adjacent to Junction 2 of the M69 and Burbage Common are of particular concern to us and this also applies to two of the strategic sites options being consulted on in this document, these being Land West of (5000 dwellings, ref STO026) and Land North of Railway Line, (1,100 dwellings, ref ELM008) which are close to the boundary with Hinckley & Bosworth. In his statement at our Council meeting on 23rd February 2021, the Leader of the Council Stuart Bray reiterated our concerns not only about the Rail Freight Depot but also the proposals for significant additional development being promoted within this area.

If such development were to go ahead this would result in significant infilling of open countryside between , Burbage, , Elmesthorpe, Stoney Stanton and changing the countryside for ever. For this reason Members of the Borough Council will continue to lobby hard against such proposals and in particular the immense negative and destructive impact such growth will have on the local countryside and rural character.

We will of course look forward to continued working with Council in the development of our respective local plans and on wider cross-boundary planning issues.

Regards

Yours Faithfully

Cllr. David Bill

Hinckley Hub • Rugby Road • Hinckley • • LE10 0FR Telephone 01455 238141 • MDX No 716429 • Fax 01455 251172 • www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk

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Consultation on the Blaby Local Plan Options Document (January 2021)

Thank you for consulting Borough Council on the Blaby Local Plan Options Document. The consultation focuses on three key areas:  Options for the spatial strategy and location of future development in Blaby.  Reasonable site options presented.  Initial information about other strategic policies Blaby Council expect to include in the Local Plan

The consultation builds upon the Issues and Options Consultation held in summer 2019. Our response to that consultation (dated 26th September 2019) raised Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Councils concerns over the potential impact of the proposed National Rail Freight Interchange, and the A46 expressway.

It is noted that following this consultation a draft plan will be prepared and consulted on in early 2022, submitted for examination in late 2022 and proposed for adoption in August 2023. We look forward to continuing positive and productive dialogue between our two authorities and the wider Housing Market Area (HMA) authorities and other partners to help progress our local plans, and the wider strategy for and Leicestershire. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council have the following comments to make on key aspects of the Options document:

Duty to Co-operate It is recognised that Blaby District Council has engaged constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis with partners including neighbouring authorities, the County Council, the LLEP (Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership) and other relevant bodies. The Strategic Growth Plan is testament to the joint commitment across Leicester and Leicestershire to plan for long term growth through an agreed, proactive and collaborative approach.

All ten partners are signatories to a Joint Position Statement relating to Leicester’s housing and employment land needs published in September 2020. This sets out how authorities will continue to work together to accommodate a potential unmet need for housing and employment land identified in the draft Leicester Local Plan.

In December 2020 the standard methodology for calculating housing need was revised, and this led to a significant increase in housing need for the city of Leicester (35% uplift). The housing need for the other authorities in Leicestershire remained unchanged. As a result of this significant increase in the housing figure for the City further additional work is required across the Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Market Area to inform the apportionment of unmet need arising from Leicester.

We support the approach, set out in paragraph 4.1.2 of the consultation document that the most effective method to address strategic cross boundary housing and employment issues is through a Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Market Area Statement of Common Ground. A statement is being prepared and will be submitted to each local authority within Leicester and Leicestershire for agreement. It is expected this will be completed in late 2021.

Spatial Strategy It is recognised that the local plan for Blaby is at an early stage of development and that this consultation paper sets out various options for both the scale of and locational strategy for growth in Blaby District. The document (table 1) sets out three options for the scale of housing growth in Blaby, one based on the standard method and two which reflect higher growth based on accommodating different levels of unmet need. These levels of growth have then been considered, through sustainability appraisal, against five locational options including focusing development close to Leicester, spread across the district, at strategic sites and at a single new settlement. It is sensible that a broad range of strategies are considered to assess the options of

Page 3 of 4 accommodating growth (including potential accommodation of unmet need arising elsewhere) within Blaby.

It is recognised that the locational strategy is dependent on the scale of growth planned for based on how much unmet need the district is proposing to accommodate - and at this stage that has yet to be determined. However the consultation notes at 4.3.15 that if the district is planning for higher housing numbers then the locational strategy should consider including strategic sites.

Paragraph 4.3.11 sets out that four strategic site options (sites of 1,000+ dwellings) have been submitted to the council for consideration. Two of these sites in particular – Land West of Stoney Stanton (5,000 dwellings, ref STO026) and Land North of Railway line, Elmesthorpe (1,100 dwellings, ref ELM008) are close to the boundary with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough. In the case of ELM008 the site is adjacent the boundary and part of the wider site falls within Hinckley and Bosworth Borough.

Both of these sites would have significant cross boundary implications for Hinckley and Bosworth. Hinckley would be the nearest main town featuring a broad range of services to these sites and inevitably would attract residents of these sites in terms of employment opportunities, shopping and for other services. There are likely to be significant impacts in terms of, for example, increased traffic generation and road congestion, and demand on education and health facilities. We support the approach set out in the Transport and Infrastructure chapters to undertake further work on highways modelling and infrastructure delivery and viability which will help highlight some of the potential issues of and mitigation for these sites.

Whilst it is understood no decisions have yet been made on the overall strategy for Blaby, and consequently the need for strategic sites, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss the proposals for these sites to ensure strategic highways and infrastructure are considered from an early stage to minimise any negative impacts on Hinckley and the wider borough.

National Rail freight Interchange The Options Document does not discuss the potential rail freight interchange in detail however paragraph 4.4.4. states that ‘We will assess the implications of a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange close to junction 2 of the M69.’ As noted above our response to the summer 2019 consultation raised concerns over the potential impact of the proposed National Rail Freight Interchange.

The site sits adjacent the boundary with Hinckley and Bosworth, between the M69 and railway line. Whilst the main site falls outside of Hinckley and Bosworth, the proposals also include a link road from the M69 Junction 2, over the railway line to the B4668 close to the cricket and football grounds (Leicester Road). This would fall within Hinckley and Bosworth. This link road would run directly next to Burbage Common and there are concerns around the environmental impact on the Common, along with the wider implications of motorway traffic routed onto this part of the local highway network. The proposal itself covers around 335ha and would include around 850,000 square metres of storage and logistic sheds floorspace (class B8) and associated development.

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council have strong concerns over the severe impact this proposal would have on the environment including the loss of countryside and infilling of the rural gap between settlements in the borough and those in Blaby. The proposal is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project and as such responsibility for determining an application for development will be with the government (through the Infrastructure Planning Unit) rather than Blaby District. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council will raise its strong concerns over the proposal throughout this process.

Reasonable Site Options There are a number of other sites (listed in appendix A) which would have potential cross boundary implications including but not limited to:  GLE032 (Land north of Glenfield) - falls partly within Blaby and Hinckley and Bosworth  ELM001 (Land north of The Home Farm) - on the boundary

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 LFE021 (Land north and east of Crossroads) - on the boundary

We would wish to discuss the implications of such sites adjacent or within close proximity of the boundary with Hinckley and Bosworth should any be considered as proposed allocations in the draft plan.

Green Wedges Our response to the summer 2019 Issues and Options Consultation highlighted the importance of Green Wedges as a planning designation. There are two Green Wedge designations in HBBC and both continue into Blaby District (the Hinckley//Earl Shilton/Burbage Green Wedge and the Rothley Brook Green Wedge). Green Wedge policies were introduced in the Leicestershire Structure Plan in 1987 and have remained an important policy tool guiding development across the HMA. We support the commitment at 4.6.3 to work with neighbouring Councils where Green Wedge extends across local authority boundaries during your review of Green Wedges.

We look forward to continue working with Blaby District Council in the development of our respective local plans and on wider cross boundary planning issues.