Housing demand figures for next two decades are revealed
117,900 new homes will be needed in county by 2036
A NEW report on housing and employment site demand over the next two decades says Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council needs 454 new homes each year to meet population growth.
The Boirough will also require between 13 and 34 hectares of new office space, 17 hectares for manufacturing and industrial ventures and around 20 hectares for small-scale warehousing and distribution operations.
The projections are made in a Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) looking forward to 2036.
Covering the city of Leicester and wider county of Leicestershire the document provides key evidence for future growth strategies compiled by all the area’s civic authorities, neighbourhood local plans and the overarching Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).
Councillor Trevor Pendleton, who chairs the group of councillors overseeing the preparation of the Strategic Growth Plan, said: “The HEDNA is a very high-level document that tells us what the expected need is for housing and employment land over the next 20 years.
“We know from experience that new development can be contentious and that’s why we are sharing the HEDNA at an early stage. This is a completely transparent process.
“There is still a long way to go but the local authorities and the LLEP are committed to working together to plan a sustainable future for Leicester and Leicestershire.”
Local Lib Dems have urged more work to ensure provision of vital infrastructure is included in the plan.
They argue the need to factor in roads, medical centres and schools is just as important.
Borough and county councillor David Bill said: “With the release of this long-awaited report can I please re-iterate that there will never be a general acceptance of plans of this nature until there is an assurance that growth will be matched at the same time by the provision of roads, schools, health centres and all the other facilities which we need.
“Our current road system is close to capacity and on an all too regular basis one incident in the area can lead to massive delays and time lost. Similarly our schools, health facilities and hospitals simply cannot always cope with current demands.
“Until a comprehensive plan is produced indicating how these problems are to be addressed we cannot expect people to willingly accept yet more unsustainable growth.”
Overall the report says there is a need for 117,900 homes in Leicester and Leicestershire between 2011 and 2036 to meet the demands of a growing population. This equates to 4,716 homes per year.
It also identifies a need for up to 215 hectares of land for office development, 165 hectares for manufacturing, and 117 hectares of land for warehouse and distribution floor space.
As the study period started in 2011, some of the development will already have taken place or land will have been identified by the local authorities involved.
For more information visit www.llstrategicgrowthplan.org.uk