New town sees first families move in
RESIDENTS have moved into one of the first homes constructed at the New Lubbesthorpe development.
The huge scheme on Beggars Lane, Leicester Forest East, will take around 20 years to complete and eventually boast some 4,250 properties.
Last month the new bridge opened over the M1 linking the estate to Thorpe Astley.
Couple, Scott Wallace, 27, and Lyndsey Green, 26, may already have driven over it after picking up the keys to their Barratt Homes four-bed Belgravia house.
Using the Government’s Help to Buy Scheme and saving cash by living with parents the pair were able to secure their choice with just a 5% deposit.
They chose New Lubbesthorpe because it was close to their family and friends.
Scott, an accountant, said: “We were keen to buy our own house rather than rent because with renting you can get stuck into a trap of just paying money each month and not getting anywhere. Now we own our own property and we have a solid investment for our future.”
Lyndsey, a nursery deputy manager, added: “We think the growing community here at New Lubbesthorpe will be fantastic and we are excited to be a part of this and to see it develop.”
Close to Meridian and Fosse Park, the development will effectively create a new town featuring two primary schools and a secondary school as well as 75 acres of woodland and 250 acres of open space plus a nursery, health centre, community centre and neighbourhood hub.
It will also include employment sites such as warehousing and industrial and office units.
The £1 billion scheme has proved controversial with opponents lamenting the loss of open countryside within the 1,000 acre site as well as fearing the traffic impact of all the new cars associated with the homes that are being built.
So far several dozen homes have been built.