10,000 homes will 'obliterate' area - campaigners

A total of 1,730 acres of farmland have been earmarked for development

Campaigners have said a proposal to build a new 10,000-home settlement in a rural part of west Leicestershire will "obliterate" the area.

Nurton Developments has set out plans for a 1,730-acre (700 hectare) area of farmland at the edge of Norton Juxta Twycross, close to Twycross Zoo.

The firm has said it wants to create a "vibrant and active" community - called Norton Heath - with schools, sports and leisure facilities and shops located in local centres.

However, residents in the area have formed a group to oppose the project.

A spokesperson for the group, called Norton Heath Development Opposition Group (NHDOG), said: "The local community, businesses and landowners are in shock as [the] massive housing development is set to obliterate part of rural Leicestershire."

The proposed site, which sits either side of A444 Atherstone Road, has been earmarked for potential development in the latest draft of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council's (HBBC) Local Plan - a strategy setting out future long-term development.

MP Luke Evans said he was worried the road network would not cope with the new homes

Chairperson of the opposition group Headley Benn said: "The proposal to strip away more than 1,600 acres of vital farmland in the council's draft local plan is devastating.

"A development of this magnitude would have catastrophic consequences for the local community and environment.

"There are compelling arguments against the viability of this scheme, and with the support of legal and subject matter experts, we are rigorously gathering evidence to formally challenge this reckless proposal."

Mr Benn said the group would work to protect "precious countryside from unreasonable and ill-conceived proposals".

A borough public consultation on the draft local plan runs until 28 November, but Mr Benn said the deadline did not leave long enough for people to comment on the scheme.

Nearly 1,500 people have signed a petition calling for the consultation to be extended.

The council has been contacted for comment.

'Inclusive community'

Hinckley and Bosworth MP Luke Evans said: "There is broad agreement across the country that we need more homes, but they must be the right houses in the right places.

"This project, which spans over 1,700 acres of farmland in an area where the rural roads will struggle to support a development of this size, is a clear example of why I called on the previous government to prioritise housebuilding in areas where the roads, rail and services already exist.

"I urge everyone across Hinckley and Bosworth to take part in the consultation on the draft Local Plan – which is putting forward this 10,000-home development to be built over 40-years, with around 2,700 homes completed by 2045."

The majority of the new homes would sit on land in the borough of Hinckley and Bosworth, but part of the site also falls within neighbouring North West Leicestershire district.

Some 79 acres (32 hectares) of employment land is also proposed under the scheme.

A spokesperson for Nurton said: "The new settlement is an opportunity to deliver homes, schools, transport, community services and healthcare, all designed and integrated from the outset.

"With house prices rising in north west Leicestershire faster than the rest of the East Midlands, Norton Heath will deliver new homes in a location where growth is currently constrained by the cost or availability of housing."

The company said half the site would be left as parkland and would include community orchards and allotments.

The spokesperson added: "Our aim is to create an inclusive community of healthy and attractive neighbourhoods, where people of all ages can live, work and enjoy a high quality of life."