Guide to who does what

Blaby District Council partnered with Fuel Bank Foundation

Did you know that Blaby District Council has teamed up with Fuel Bank Foundation to help residents in fuel crisis this winter?
Eligible residents can receive a voucher to help cover emergency Gas or Electricity costs as well as help and support to deal with fuel debt.

Eligible –

· Lives in Blaby District

· Has a prepayment meter (ie buys credit/tops up at a pay point, via an app or Post Office Payzone)

· Is in fuel crisis (on emergency credit, no credit or likely to run out of credit within 48 hours).

It’s easy to apply, just fill in the form on our website by clicking here or search for Fuel Bank on our website and a member of the Community Services team will contact within 1 working day. Anyone requesting a fuel voucher will need to provide proof of ID and their address.

If successful, vouchers are issued by Fuel Bank Foundation usually on the same day by text or email and the applicant can top up their fuel at their usual top up location.

It is a limited fund and applications are therefore restricted to 1 per household. Repeat applications will only be considered in severe cases.

We also have a small stock of Warm Packs (including radiator keys, reflective radiator panels, draft excluders, hand warmers etc). These can be obtained by emailing Community Services at [email protected]

Around the District 

Braunstone Town events

Normally we have news of happy events around Blaby District but this month we can only report on the tragic events of Sunday 1st September in Braunstone Town which have deeply affected us all. The death of 80-year-old grandfather Bhim Kohli, a long-standing and respected member of the community, and the subsequent charge of murder against a 14-year-old boy is truly shocking. We know our Community Safety Team have been working closely with Leicestershire Police in helping support the community and provide reassurance that this is a dreadful but isolated incident. Our residents’ safety remains a primary concern, and we will act in any way possible to ensure this is the case. Our thoughts are with Mr Kohli’s family, friends, neighbours, and anyone who knew him.

Councillor Activities   

During September there have been training events and/or meetings attended by your councillors:

• The Victory Show – Cosby – 1st 
• Blaby Planning Committee – 5th 
• Sapcote Parish Council – 5th 
• NPPF Consultation – 6th 
• Blaby Parishes Group Meeting – 11th 
• Chairman at Home Charity Event – 13th 
• Flood Warden Engagement – 14th 
• Cabinet Executive – 16th 
• Blaby Macmillan Coffee Morning – 17th 
• Scrutiny Task & Finish – Contaminated Land Sites – 18th
• Training – Finance Without Numbers – 19th 
• Sharnford Parish Council – 19th 
• Sharnford Bacon Buttie Morning – 21st 
• Blaby District Council Meeting – 24th 
• Blaby Joint Consultative Committee Meeting – 25th 
• Training – Audit & Governance Chairman
• Scrutiny Working Group – iPlan Concerns – 26th 

During October, your councillors have many training events and/or meetings, including social functions to attend:

• 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

News

• Planning Inspector allows appeal for Enderby Logistics Hub
• Bouskell Park improvements planned
• Decision delayed on Rail Freight Hub
• Tourism Growth Success
• New Conservation Area Approved for Braunstone’s historic village centre
• Extra Funding for specialist housing scheme
• Drivers warned of text message parking fine scam

Important Events in November

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 

23/0182/OUT – Land off Croft Road, Cosby

Outline planning application for the development of up to 200 dwellings including provision of public open space, associated infrastructure, all matters reserved except for access.

Application approved by Planning Committee on 5th September 2024

24/0351/VAR – Land to the west of Autoglass Ltd, Meridian North, Braunstone TownRegistered Application to vary conditions 2, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17 & 26 and remove condition 8 of planning application 23/0234/FUL

Application approved by Planning Committee on 5th September 2024

22/1049/FUL – Land East of Station Road, Glenfield

Erection of 2 dwellings (Use Class C3) with access from Station Road

Application for determination 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 for determination 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 for determination by Planning Committee on 3rd October 2024

24/0133/FUL – Land to Southwest of Cork Lane, Glen Parva

Full application for 26 dwellings

Application for determination 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 buldings.

Application for determination by Planning Committee on 3rd October 2024

24/0344/FUL – White Gate Stables, Hinckley Road, Aston Firs 

Change of use of land from agricultural (currently used for the storage of caravans) to a Gypsy and Traveller site providing for 13 mobile homes with associated hardstanding and landscaping       

Refused

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

Planning Enforcement

E24/0263/COURES – 63 St Marys Way, Elmesthorpe

Business operations from residential property

E24/0256/BOCRES – 26 Stanton Road, Sapcote

Breach of condition 14 attached to 20/0265/FUL

E24/0250/BOC – Land to Southwest of 37 Coventry Road, Sharnford

Borders of Butler Close/Coventry Road overgrown in breach of condition 2 attached to 18/0981/VAR

PDF version of this newsletter can be downloaded from the link below.