WOODHOUSE PARISH COUNCIL Trustee for the King George's Field, Woodhouse Eaves [Charity No. 1087237]

5th January 2021 Dear Members & RFO

Parish Councillors are summoned by the Chair at 6.45p.m. on Monday 11th January 2021 for an Extraordinary Meeting to consider the following item of business.

Peter Searancke Chair of the Council

AGENDA

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE To receive and approve reasons for absence

2. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY & PERSONAL INTERESTS & ANY DISPENSATIONS To note and record

3. PLANNING APPLICATIONS Appendix 1 To note responses and consider new applications.

4. PARISH COUNCILLOR VACANCIES

Meeting Closed

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APPENDIX 1 PLANNING APPLICATIONS

Single and two storey extension with Juliet balcony to rear of dwelling 14th January 17.12.20 Charnwood BC P/20/2167/2 61 Maplewell Road, Woodhouse Eaves, LE12 8RG

Erection of single storey extension to side and rear of house 12th January 17.12.20 Charnwood BC P/20/2097/2 37 Bird Hill Road, Woodhouse Eaves, , LE12 8RP

Reserved Matters for layout, appearance & landscaping in relation to the erection of one dwelling (Outline application P/18/0117/2 refers) 13th January 16.12.20 Charnwood BC P/20/1940/2 Land opposite 135 Maplewell Road, Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire, LE12 8QY

Outline planning application for the erection of up to 36 dwellings and associated road infrastructure, landscaping, drainage and associated works (considering access only). 10.12.20 Charnwood BC P/20/2107/2 (See below as reference the last response from the Parish Council re the appeal for 50 4th February houses)

Erection of single storey rear extension to rear of house. 09.12.20 Charnwood BC P/20/1951/2 Nanhill, Nanhill Drive, Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire, LE12 8TL 30th December

WOODHOUSE PARISH COUNCIL Trustee for the King George’s Field, Woodhouse Eaves Charity No. 1087237

272 Forest Road Woodhouse Leicestershire LE12 8UA 01509 890050 [email protected]

Hazel Stanmore-Richards Case Officer The Planning Inspectorate Eagle 3D Temple Quay House 2 The Square 19 July 2019 Bristol BS1 6PN Your Ref: APP/X2410/W/19/3221952 [email protected]

Dear Ms Stanmore-Richards

Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Appeal by JK Land C/O Agent Land at Maplewell Road, Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough, LE12 8RA

This parish council understands that communities may grow and need more homes, and the Parish Council is working responsibly on a Neighbourhood Plan with the understanding that it has an opportunity to bring suitable sites forward because the Council currently has a 6.4 year housing land supply. However, small villages that grew slowly over several centuries have inherent infrastructure limitations and it was for this reason that this village has never been at the top of Charnwood Borough Council’s settlement hierarchy as the most suitable location for significant growth.

Woodhouse Eaves, like other small, historic settlements, has had to try to adapt to increased traffic flows, car-driven visitors, and, in recent years, the re-growth of cycling, walking and horse riding, vulnerable road users competing for the same space. The parish area as a whole has suffered considerably from serious and fatal traffic collisions, making parents and children feel that walk to school journeys are too risky; and from continual infringements of rules of the road – speeding, pavement parking, and pavement driving when space between vehicles on each side further narrow the road or when farm vehicles make their way to and from the fields.

The Conservation Area is compromised by these traffic developments because this level of congestion and parking is a jarring feature with the age of the buildings, spoiling an understanding of how the Conservation Area used to look and making it less enjoyable to experience. Maplewell Road is long and winding, with a variety of housing styles and landscape views that echo the settlement’s historic development. The Village Design Statement noted that:

“it is possible that there are medieval remains and care should be taken to avoid disturbance when new development is being carried out.”

In this particular section of the village Conservation Area, there are 14 statutory listed properties, 3 restored and award-winning brewery cottages, two 18th century pubs, a corner shop built in 1856 and several visually striking Edwardian mansions. Behind one side of the road’s houses, are heights to ascend along the spine of a granite ridge; and on the other side, two acres of well-tended allotments. A step in one direction leads to a rock face much prized by climbers [this is an important geological area]; and an Anglican church designed by William Railton, which recently benefitted from a large Heritage Lottery grant for structural and heritage work. In another direction, a few steps reveal the Listed village pump; and over the crossroads is the Listed former bakehouse, now home to a pharmacy and post office counter.

The village hosted a series of ‘recovery homes’ until late 20th century, and was described as “the sanatorium of Leicestershire towns” because of its open spaces and air quality. The last nursing 1 home closed only in 2006. Many children and adults spent time living in such homes, and there is a trickle of returners wanting to see the places again with their own families.

Maplewell Rd is well used by village residents walking to school and shops, and for leisure they go up to the network of footpaths around Broombriggs Farm. Users of that route appreciate the beauty of the Conservation Area and its variety of interesting historic buildings, but increasingly this cannot be appreciated because users are concentrating more on whether the footpath and the road are safe due to pavement parking and pavement driving, and residential amenity and enjoyment of these properties is limited by the same problem. If this appeal development is approved these problems will worsen with additional traffic through the heart of the Conservation Area to the point that this will not be a nice route to use at all, and there will be decreased appreciation of and harm to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

Maplewell Road feeds into to a small and often congested crossroads leading to three other roads. Residents and retailers have brought complaints about traffic speed, pavement driving and parking, parking in general [many homes have no off-road parking spaces], and collisions. Police closed the road for a time on 17 July this year owing to a collision involving a cyclist. Speed monitoring has recorded speeds passing through the conservation area at between 40 and 50 mph; and exploration of Highways census data revealed that all but 10% of vehicles passing through the village came from a local starting point. The photographs supplied by local people show the impact on the Conservation Area.

Sited in the centre of the proposed Regional Park, and partly within the National Forest, it is no surprise that the village is popular with tourists, walkers, horses, dogs and cyclists in addition to working farmers, commuters, local businesses and local and area people who attend activities or play sports at the village halls and land along Main Street.

The Village Design Statement also states that:

“… growth appears to have been sporadic and piecemeal with the pleasing result that small- scale cottages have side alleys with other cottages behind, while some houses face the road and others are placed side-on. Some are on the pavement edge and others are set back. This projection and recession, with the resulting open and closed views, gives variety to these streets and is an essential aspect of the character of the central village.

… A major characteristic of all approaches to the village is the gradual increase in building density which helps blend the village into its surrounding landscape. This landscape is happily still an important working environment of farms and livery stables. “

The Charnwood Roots project [part of the Leicestershire Victoria County History project] produced a circular Woodhouse & Eaves Heritage Walking Trail staring from Broombriggs that takes readers through some of the historic legacy of the parish villages. It is one of many guides to this area.

Both documents provide visual evidence of the Conservation Area character; while the Naturespot website indicates some of the species found here; and the Charnwood Local Plan, National Forest, Regional Park and Charnwood Roots websites yield more data about the village, why it has special character, and how this is valued and enjoyed by those who live, work or visit this area:

https://www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/woodhouse-parish-neighbourhood-p1.html https://www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/conservation-areas.html https://www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/village-design-statements.html https://www.woodhouseparishcouncil.org.uk/parish-plan1.html https://www.naturespot.org.uk/parish/woodhouse https://www.charnwoodroots.org/history-of-charnwood/

Yours sincerely

Ann Irving Clerk to the Council and Charity

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