Plans to build 650 new homes set for approval

The site would be accessed via the Welford Road roundabout

A plan to build 650 homes on the edge of a Leicestershire town has been recommended for approval.

The proposed houses are part of a wider development currently under construction in Wigston, with 520 homes already being built there.

If approved by Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, the houses would be built on farmland adjacent to the phase one development, to the east of Welford Road.

The site already has outline permission to be developed from February 2023, with the current application relating to the housing, open spaces and road layouts.

If approved, the scheme would be completed in three sections over six years, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Around 200 homes would be built in the first two years, followed by 225 in each of the subsequent two year periods.

Plans for a new community building, primary school and play areas on the site will be considered through separate applications, the LDRS said.

Various forms of open space are also included in the plans, including children’s play areas, allotments, a wildlife area and parks.

Access to the development would be via the roundabout in Newton Lane and the Welford Road roundabout. Both roundabouts were approved in the phase one plans.

Of the 650 homes proposed, 109 would be classed as "affordable".

In recommending approval, planning officers said the scheme would make “an important contribution” to delivering the borough’s housing requirements.

The authority's planning committee will debate the scheme on Thursday.