November 2024 - Our One Month Review
It has been a busy month for us working hard for residents, we continue to do our bit representing Fosse Highcross at Blaby District Council. We have had large planning applications come in, such as the 134 homes in Sharnford (page 8 for more info), the South Leicestershire Pensioners’ Fair and, Parish Council meetings at Sapcote, Sharnford and Aston Flamville. Christmas has arrived early in Sapcote Garden centre, do try and get down if you can, enjoy the displays and grab a drink in their excellent café.
Over the last few weeks, we have been delivering our Blaby District Council Conservative Group intouch leaflet. Showcasing the work we have done as a Council and the challenges ahead.
As we approach the colder months our ask is please do keep an eye on your neighbors and vulnerable residents, especially at a time when costs for heating are high.
Around the District
Come and join Cllr Mike Shirley on his weekly exercise to strengthen his limbs and walk further.
Steady Steps Plus classes are ongoing weekly exercise classes for those that would like to improve and maintain their strength, balance, and fitness. They were originally designed as the follow on from the Steady Steps 24-week programme to enable participants to continue exercising once their programme had finished and have proved popular ever since.
Our classes are ideal for anybody who has completed a Steady Steps programme, would like to become more active, or would benefit from improving and maintaining their strength, balance and mobility.
Delivered by our friendly and experienced instructors, our sessions run each week at a number of venues across Blaby, Oadby & Wigston.
Please click the link to find the list of steady steps Plus classes. https://www.activeblaby.org.uk/programmes/steady-steps-plus/
Business Breakfast Event
Blaby District Council ran our hugely successful business breakfast event last month
Hats off to the Council Officers for organising 👏
It was great to see a local resident attend too, Jack Feast. Jack runs a local engineering business in Sharnford 👍
More info 👉https://www.blaby.gov.uk/business.../business-support/
Councillor Activities
During October there have been training events and/or meetings attended by your councillors:
- Scrutiny Task & Finish – Recruitment & Retention of Staff – 1st
- Sharnford Flood Resilience – 2nd
- Blaby Planning Committee – 3rd
- Elmesthorpe Parish Council – 3rd
- Sapcote Parish Council – 3rd
- Leicestershire & Rutland Association of Local Councils – 5th
- National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Consultation – 6th
- Audit & Corporate Governance Committee – 9th
- Scrutiny Task & Finish – Tourism – 15th
- Sharnford Parish Council – 17th
- Aston Flamville Parish Meeting – 23rd
- Sharnford Bacon Buttie Morning – 26th
- Briefing Food Waste Collection Scheme – 29th
- Blaby Planning Committee – 31st
HNRFI Stakeholder Briefing – 31st
During November, your councillors have many training events and/or meetings, including social functions to attend:
- Pensioners Fayre – 1st
- Grievance & Standards Committee – 6th
- 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
Nominations open to recognise unsung community heroes
Community heroes and groups who go the extra mile across Blaby District are set to be recognised by the District Council.
Nominations are open for the fourth Blaby District Council Community Awards, to celebrate and reward local groups and volunteers who make a real difference to people’s life.
The award categories are:
- Volunteer of the Year
- Young Volunteer of the Year
- Community Group of the Year
Nominations close at midnight on Sunday 10 November.
Visit www.blaby.gov.uk/community-awards for more information and to nominate. Email or paper forms can be requested by emailing [email protected].
A panel of judges will decide the winners and runners-up in the volunteer categories. Winners will each receive £100 and runners-up £50 as well as being able to nominate a local charitable organisation to receive a cash donation.
The Community Group of the Year award is for organisations that really make a difference to the lives of Blaby District residents through the services they provide. This could be a local community group, sports club, charity or social enterprise. Last year’s winner was Sapcote Memory Hub CIC, with Blaby and District Spartan’s Inclusive Football Club taking the runner-up prize.
The Community Group of the Year, crowned following a public vote, will receive £1,000 and the runner-up organisation will win £500.
The 2024 Community Awards are sponsored by Everyone Active, Central Co-Op and the Love Blaby Lottery.
Full details of the Community Awards, including the entry criteria, judging process and prizes can be found at www.blaby.gov.uk/community-awards.
News
- Nominations open to recognise unsung Community Heroes
- Solar Panel Plans progress at Blaby District Council Depot
- Approval for extension to housing scheme in Glen Parva
- Update on Huncote’s BMX track
HNRFI Update – Decision Phase
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
We learned earlier this month that the Secretary of State for Transport was delaying 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 be rejected. We are sure you will all agree this was absolutely the right recommendation. So, we are hugely disappointed that the Secretary of State, Louise Haigh, has not thrown the scheme out. Instead, while saying she is ‘minded to refuse’ the hub she has 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 has not followed the recommendation and refused 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.
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. 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. The consultation ends today, and we have provided our best response. We will be keen to learn how any changes will impact our plans, timescales and potential housing numbers
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/
Major Blaby District Planning Applications
22/1049/FUL – Land East of Station Road, Glenfield
Erection of 2 dwellings (Use Class C3) with access from Station Road
The officer recommendation to approve is overturned and that the application is refused by Planning Committee on 3rd October 2024
24/0001/OUT – Land East of Willoughby Road, Countesthorpe
Outline planning application for development of up to 205 dwellings.
Application deferred, awaiting further information, by Planning Committee on 3rd October 2024
24/0117/VAR – Unit 3 Fosse Park West, Grove Way, Enderby
Variation of conditions 2 and 4 of planning permission 15/0577/FUL to facilitate the subdivision of the unit to create 2 separate units.
Application approved by Planning Committee on 3rd October 2024
24/0133/FUL – Land to Southwest of Cork Lane, Glen Parva
Full application for 26 dwellings
Application approved by Planning Committee on 3rd October 2024
24/0693/FUL – Blaby District Council Depot, Enderby Road, Whetstone
Installation of permanent edge protection, walkways and CAT ladders fitted to each of the three buildings.
Application approved by Planning Committee on 3rd October 2024
23/0968/OUT – Land East of Lutterworth Road, Blaby
Outline planning application for a residential development of up to 53 dwellings including associated vehicular access, affordable housing, landscaping and drainage infrastructure (all matters reserved except for access).
Application approved by Planning Committee on 31st October 2024
24/0439/OUT – Land to the South of Little Glen Road, Glen Parva
Outline planning application for the erection of up to 31 dwellings and associated infrastructure, including construction of a new access to Little Glen Road, public open space and a sustainable urban drainage system.
Application approved by Planning Committee on 31st October 2024
24/0746/FUL – Bouskell Park, Welford Road, Blaby
Alterations to existing entrance to Bouskell Park car park to provide widened vehicular access and new footpath.
Application approved by Planning Committee on 31st October 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.
Local Minor Planning Applications
24/0595/FUL – Part of field No.0059, Lychgate Lane, Aston Flamville
Erection of 2 dwellings and double garages with shared private access drive.
24/0721/HH – 14 penfold Close, Sapcote
Proposed two storey side extension and single storey rear extension
24/0781/RM – Land adjacent to Stables, Cooks Lane, Sapcote
Reserved matters approval for appearance and landscaping pursuant to outline permission 21/0499/OUT for the erection of 1 dwelling
24/0767/FUL – Land off Church Lane, Wigston Parva
Conversion of two agricultural barns to 2 dwelling houses and the demolition of a modern agricultural barn
24/0768/LBC – Land off Church Lane, Wigston Parva
Listed Buildings consent for the conversion of two agricultural barns to form 2 dwelling houses.
24/0775/HH – 7 Frewen Drive, Sapcote
Addition of a single storey ‘Avant-Garde’ glass room to rear
24/0804/HH – 12 Rye Hill Drive, Sapcote
First Floor Extension
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
Planning Enforcement
E24/0286/BOC
Mill Bank House, Leicester Road, Sapcote, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE9 4JF,
Nature of Breach: Breach of condition relating to permission 23/0699/FUL / 24/0347/VAR Date Received 29/10/24
Parish Sapcote Parish Council
Ward Fosse Highcross
PDF version of this newsletter can be downloaded from the link below.
