Views sought on the growth of borough
RESIDENTS are being asked to speak up on how they would like the borough to grow over the next two decades.
A public consultation is due soon on the updated local plan for Hinckley and Bosworth to 2036 but people are already being invited to contact officers with views.
As well as the borough document, the council is also working with the other nine Leicestershire authorities to prepare an overarching Strategic Growth Plan to shape the longer term to 2050.
The final documents will set out detailed policies and specific proposals for guiding the future development and use of land within the borough.
It will guide most day-to-day planning decisions and policies including where new housing can be built and where land can be specified for employment use.
The aim is to speed up the development and planning process, ensure better integration of environmental issues and be more accessible to the public.
Among the projects already carried forward from the 2006-26 local plan are the Barwell and Earl Shilton SUEs and the major new estate off Normandy Way adjacent to the Triumph factory.
Of these three only the Triumph scheme is progressing apace.
Negotiations remain ongoing between Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and developers over the SUEs with Barwell’s blueprint ahead of its neighbours.
These three new estates will deliver 4,950 dwellings in Hinckley and Bosworth and help the borough meet its ‘assessed development needs’ over the next 10 to 15 years, according to the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework.
However, with Whitehall pressing local authorities to build more and more housing, other sites will need to be earmarked going forward - to ensure the council and residents see construction where they prefer it rather than developers cherry picking prime sites.
Early indications suggest the borough should be permitting the provision of 454 new dwellings per year up to 2036.
That figure which falls in line with current estimates.
As well as this some 35 hectares of employment land for office and general industrial operations are thought to be required along with around 19 hectares of land for storage and distribution usages.
The council is just beginning the process of drawing up the new proposals and documents with the process, including public consultation and Government endorsement, expected to be completed by 2020.
A Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council spokesman said: “Knowing what residents, businesses and other interested parties think should be included in the review is important.
“It means the plan will be prepared with those options in mind from the beginning.
“There are lots of ways in which to get involved in helping make the plan.
“A consultation will be forthcoming later in the year, with visits to various places across the borough.
“Look out for details on the council website as and when they become available.”
Residents can also contact the planning policy team via email PlanningPolicy@hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk or call Hinckley 238141.
The Barwell and Earl Shilton SUE schemes have both been mired down with negotiations between borough bosses and developers.
Existing communities have also expressed concerns at the developments and their impact on road infrastructure and other public services such as health and schools.