'Luxury' homes approved for Bosworth Battlefield

The farm sites on the edge of Bosworth Battlefield and is earmarked for development

A developer has been granted permission to build “luxury” homes on the site of Bosworth Battlefield.

Karl Maughan had his application to demolish farm buildings to build 25 homes on land at Mulberry Farm in Stoke Golding, near Hinckley, deferred in September.

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council planners held off on making the decision partly due to a lack of affordable housing.

But independent consultants employed by the council ruled the scheme would be financially unviable if changed and was approved on Tuesday.

Council leader Stuart Bray said it was “unfortunate” that the scheme could not meet the council’s affordable housing policy requirements.

But he said the site was brownfield and earmarked for development in the local plan - so should still be permitted.

'Already built on'

He said: “It is a farm where the buildings have seen better days, and it could do with something doing with it.

“Part of the battlefield is already built on with existing structures on the farm. The actual area that is battlefield will only be people’s gardens.

“Do we stamp our feet and say it’s not our policy and chuck it out? It is part of the process that applicants can come forward and challenge it.

“We have independently tested this, and we would be acting unreasonably if we argued with that process.”

The scheme had already seen “significant amendments” working with planning officers before reaching the council’s planning committee in September.

Initial intentions to demolish the farmhouse and to build a pond in ridge and furrow land, which includes archaeological remnants of Medieval farming methods, were dropped.

Instead the farmhouse is to be kept, with other farm buildings on brownfield land demolished to accommodate a range of two- to five-bedroom houses alongside a village green and community orchard.