Plan for 175 homes on edge of town approved

The new homes will be accessed from Burton Road

A planning application for 175 homes on the edge of Melton Mowbray has been approved by councillors.

Melton Borough Council's planning committee was recommended by council officers to approve the scheme from Davidsons Developments Ltd to build a housing development on land next to Burton Road.

It will be built on a section of land allocated for the Melton South Sustainable Neighbourhood (MSSN), which will eventually see about 3,000 new homes from different developers.

Planning agent Lexi Dones, on behalf of the developer, said the scheme would bring many benefits.

More than 550 homes are already in the process of being built as part of the MSSN, with 2,400 homes outlined in applications that have yet to be decided by the council, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A council report said the proposed development, which would contain open spaces and play areas, would represent a "sustainable extension" to the town.

The developer said the scheme would not bring in enough money to pay the almost £6.7m financial contribution as requested by the council and other bodies for facilities and other services.

Instead the developer offered to pay £3.5m towards education.

Council leader Pip Allnett asked for £100,000 to be taken from the £3.5m for education and given instead towards funds needed for a new GP surgery in the town.

Councillor Allen Thwaites also called for a design consultation to be carried out to mitigate the impact on existing residents.

Full details of the homes and the layout of the scheme will be submitted to the council by the developer at a later date.