Ms L. Pizer EAST Clerk to the Council The Village Hall Off The Long Furrow GOSCOTE East Goscote Leicester LE7 3ZL PARISH Telephone 0116 2602202 Facsimile 0116 2602202 E- COUNCIL mail [email protected]

th 8 May 2018

Development Management Team Charnwood Borough Council Southfields Leics LE11 2TN

Dear Sirs

P/20/1605/2 – Outline planning permission for up to 200 dwellings with associated road infrastructure, landscaping, drainage and associated works (considering access from Melton Road only with all other matters reserved) - Land at Melton Road, , LE7 3FL - Hallam Land Management Ltd

East Goscote Parish Council objects to this proposal for the following reasons:

1. Local Plan The proposal is contrary to the Current Local Plan. Queniborough is defined as an “other settlement” in the Local Plan. In Charnwood’s 2028 Core Strategy (adopted 2015) the housing trajectory for “Rest of Borough” 25 (2019/20) with no further housing requirements until 2028.

2. Traffic East Goscote Parish Council is concerned about the traffic in the area.

There is high risk to pedestrians and serious congestion affecting the A607. The sole proposed access road cuts across the safe walking and cycling route (Route 48 of the National Cycle Route) from East Goscote to . At school start and end times the path is very busy with cyclists and pedestrians and 220 houses could generate a possible 78% household car ownership (the Charnwood average- RAC calculation), averaging 1.5 cars per household.

The proposed exit to Melton Road would be around 350 metres from the major roundabout to the North East. Any traffic management at the access point to the development would need to be pedestrian priority for safety and at busy times queuing traffic would impact the flow of traffic off the and Syston bypasses and from Queniborough and East Goscote.

There is no provision for emergency access. Just one access road is not acceptable in the event of, for example, a road traffic accident or flood. Adding a second access road further up Melton Road toward the A607 will double the risk to pedestrians and cyclists. Furthermore, it would move potential congestion back on to the two bypasses that meet at the nearby major roundabout. This would then have a knock-on effect by causing major congestion to the wider area, well beyond the locality.

3. Areas of separation It is a policy of the Charnwood Local Plan to maintain the area of separation around the current built environment of Queniborough village.

In effect, if this development is agreed, there will remain little green space between Queniborough and East Goscote when approaching the village from Queniborough.

4. Flooding The development is centrally placed in an area of greater than 75% risk of ground water flooding. The flood report submitted by Hallam Homes does not show any evidence of consultation with Network Rail about the risk to their assets which are 300 metres to the west, where the unnamed ordinary watercourse goes under the railway.

The watercourse is currently in a poorly maintained condition and likely to cause imminent flooding at any time of heavier rainfall as seen in March and April of this year.

5. Infrastructure constraints on sewerage and surface water There is an increased flood risk to the local infrastructure, including Melton Road, the railway and the sewerage network. Severn Trent have already stated that there is a 1 in 1- year risk of exceeding sewerage design limits at the current time. Any future development would point to a need for massive investment to accommodate the needs of this and other speculative proposals in the surrounding area.

6. Infrastructure The doctors surgery at East Goscote closed 12 months ago. This has put extra pressure on the Health Centre in Syston. Apart from the shop at the garage, there are no facilities within easy walking distance from the proposed development. The shape of the development means that even to access this shop residents would be likely to use a car. The need to use a car to get to any facilities makes the development unsustainable and any mitigation put in place to reduce this would in real terms would have minimal impact.

In conclusion, East Goscote Parish Council would like Charnwood’s Planning Officers to take into consideration the impact of this proposed development on the local infrastructure and services for Queniborough and surrounding areas. The Parish Council also feel that the development is not sustainable and will have a disproportionate impact on traffic, safety and the environment and hope our objection to this planning proposal is noted.

Yours faithfully

Liz Pizer On behalf of East Goscote Parish Council