December 2024 - Our Month in Review
Building up for Christmas has already seen village fayres/markets. Light switch-on, and Carol Services advertised. Ben and I will attempt to visit as many as possible in Fosse Highcross Ward, if you let us know where and when. Two already visited are Sharnford Christmas Market on Saturday 30th November, in the afternoon and Sapcote Lights switch-on that evening.
Sharnford Christmas Market was held at Sharnford Youth & Community Centre with clothing, crafts, food, and gift stalls. I managed to miss the crowds, arriving late but still well attended.
Enjoyed a mince pie and hot drink at Sapcote pavilion entertained by the local Brass Band before the Christmas Lights switch-on, organised by Cllr Nindy Sahota from Sapcote Parish Council. Hundreds of residents who did a loud count-down before Santa Clause did the honours. It took children and adults several goes before Santa was happy with the volume.
We will be attending Blaby District Council Christmas Carol Service on Thursday evening 5th December.
Councillor Activities
During November, your councillors have attended many training events and/or meetings, including social functions:
- Pensioners Fayre – 1st
- Scrutiny iPlan Workshop – 7th
- Sapcote Parish Council – 7th
- Audit & Corporate Governance Webinar – 8th
- Blaby Chairmans Dinner – 8th
- Remembrance Sunday – 10th
- Scrutiny Task & Finish – Net Zero – 11th
- Blaby District Council – 19th
- Sharnford Parish Council – 21st
- Extraordinary Audit & Corporate Governance Committee – 25th
- Scrutiny Task & Finish – Recruitment & Staff Retention – 26th
- Sharnford Fete AGM – 27th
- Blaby Planning Committee – 28th
- Training – Sense – making from evidence – 29th
- Sharnford Christmas Market – 30th
- Sapcote Christmas Tree Lights Switch On – 30th
As we enter the Christmas time of year your councillors will still be attending meetings, training events, and social functions:
- Audit Chair’s Forum Meeting – 3rd
- Training – Audit, the new standards – 4th
- Sharnford Evergreen Hall Party – 4th
- Blaby Carol Concert – 5th
- Sapcote Parish Council – 5th
- Sharnford Bacon Buttie Morning – 7th
- Blaby Parishes Group Meeting – 11th
- Melton Mowbray Carol Service – 12th
- Sharnford Parish Council – 19th
- Wigston Parva Carol Service – 22nd
News
- Increasing the Cost of Enviro Crime – The cost of fly-tipping and littering is increasing.
- Name our EV’s competition launches – We are looking for sparky names to suit our two new electric vehicles.
- Air quality improvements – Four traffic corridors in the District will lose their ‘pollution hot spot’ status after showing consistent improvements in air quality.
- Council plans for food waste collections – Blaby District Council is set to introduce food waste collections as part of a national initiative aimed at stopping food waste heading to landfill and tackling waste and climate change.
- Future of open spaces preserved – Two popular parks and a collection of village allotments are to be sold for £1 each to local Parish Councils.
HNRFI Update – Decision Phase
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh resigns over fraud conviction
The Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange will remain in our monthly reports until the final decision is made by the Secretary of State.
HNRFI decision delayed
The previous Secretary of State for Transport has delayed making a decision on the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange. The recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate’s Examination Authority, after their six-month review into the scheme, was that it should not be granted consent.
We are sure you will all agree this was absolutely the right recommendation. So, we were hugely disappointed that the recent Secretary of State, Louise Haigh, did not throw the scheme out. Instead, while saying she is ‘minded to refuse’ the hub she had asked for more information and delayed the final decision until March 2025. Developers, Tritax Symmetry, now seem to have another chance to convince the Secretary of State the monstrous project should go ahead. we simply cannot fathom why Ms Haigh did not follow the recommendation and refuse permission. At every stage of the process Tritax have failed to address key issues and impacts in relation to traffic, landscape, noise and nuisance. How is this going to change? This project would destroy the rural nature of our District forever and must be vetoed.
But again, we must wait for government to decide our fate with a new Secretary of State Heidi Alexander MP. How long will Heidi Alexander MP take to come up to speed, and will she make the right decision and side with residents?
New Local Plan
We continue to work on our Local Plan which will guide growth across the District up to 2041, shaping where housing, employment and retail sites should be developed and where development should be restricted.
Regulation 19 consultation Update
We were aiming to begin our Regulation 19 consultation in September 24, however, due to the new Government’s proposals to revise the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the potential subsequent impact of the imposition of mandatory housing targets; the Council now intends to publish the Regulation 19 Local Plan in July 2025. A Regulation 19 Local Plan is the version of the Local Plan which the Council intend to submit to the Secretary of State to be examined by an independent inspector.
The Regulation 19 consultation provides an opportunity for representations to be made on the Local Plan. Following on from this the Local Plan will be submitted for Examination where the Local Plan will be examined by an independent Inspector who will consider the Plan against legal and soundness tests. Those who make representations can request to attend the Examination hearings
However, now the government has launched a consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), we will need to review our proposals in the light of this. The consultation provides guidance to all local authorities about development, including the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets. Updates will be provided as soon as there is an understanding of the impact for Blaby District. This will include a review of Local Plan timescales and housing targets
For the latest info on our new local plan, please see Blaby District Council’s dedicated webpage: https://www.blaby.gov.uk/planning-and-building/local-plan/new-local-plan/
Full Council Meeting at Blaby District Council
At the November Full Council meeting at Blaby District Council we had the leaders report which updated members on some highlights, including:
- Braunstone Conservation Area Adopted
- Tourism Growth - Visitor Spend Exceeding Targets
- Property Secured to Offer Support to Those in Need of Accommodation in our District Armistice Day Service Held at the Council Office
- Community Awards Update - Finalists to be Announced in January
- and Much More...
Full agenda and more info can be found here: https://w3.blaby.gov.uk/decision-making/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=287&MId=4595…
I took the opportunity to update members on the transformation work that has been going on too, including the ICT project.
Please visit our social media channels for more detail.
Major Blaby District Planning Applications
24/0001/OUT – Land East of Willoughby Road, Countesthorpe
Outline planning application for development of up to 185 dwellings.
Application approved by Planning Committee on 28th November 2024
23/1072/OUT – Land South of Orchard Lea Close, Cooks Lane, Sapcote
Outline planning application for residential development of up to 5 self-build dwellings.
Application approved by Planning Committee on 28th November 2024
24/0483/FUL – Oaklands, Hinckley Road, Leicester Forest West
Change of use from agricultural land to leisure use, erection of 10 holiday lodges.
Application approved by Planning Committee on 28th November 2024
24/0511/OUT – Land North of Leicester Road, Sapcote
Outline application for the residential development of up to 80 dwellings.
Application approved by Planning Committee on 28th November 2024
24/0834/OUT – Leicester Road, Sharnford
Outline planning application for a.) provision of up to 134 dwellings constituting up to 43 Affordable Housing units, up to 75 Open Market Housing units and up to 16 serviced plots for self-build and custom housebuilding, b.) hedge and tree removal with (re)planting where relevant, c.) provision of a mobility hub and d.) with all matters reserved except access.
Application to be determined by Planning Committee at future meeting
24/0874/FUL - The Works Aston Lane Sharnford Leicestershire
Demolition of existing pre-fab offices and siting of 36 self-storage containers with erection of new boundary fencing and landscape bund
Application to be determined by Planning Committee at future meeting
24/0957/FUL – Land off Butler Close, Sharnford
Erection of 19 dwellings with associated access.
Application to be determined by Planning Committee at future meeting
24/0976/OUT – 2 Spring Gardens, Sapcote
Outline application for 9 new dwellings.
Local Minor Planning Applications
24/0838/FUL – The Close, Aston Lane, Sharnford
Erection of two storey side extension to existing office building (including demolition of existing temporary office building).
24/0856/FUL – Land off Hinckley Road, Sapcote
Erection of one self-build dwelling.
24/0930/CLASSQ – 21 Billington Road East, Elmesthorpe
Application for prior approval for change of use of agricultural buildings (barns A and D) to 3 residential dwellings.
24/0942/HH – 15 Dovecote Close, Sapcote
Single storey extensions to the front and rear.
24/0539/HH – 1 New Walk, Sapcote
Erection of wooden trellis and picket fence to form means of enclosure within the curtilage of a listed building.
PDF version of this newsletter can be downloaded from the link below.
