Resurrection for wasteland plans

DEVELOPERS want to build 14 semis on wasteland close to the parish church in Barwell.

An application has been submitted for the project which will extend residential development south of St Marys Court.

The aim is to construct seven pairs of semidetached properties with gabled fronts and providing a mix of two and three bedrooms.

Full planning permission is sought from Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.

The applications says the site is currently undeveloped wasteland and of little or no community benefit while the proposed dwellings are in keeping with the established pattern of local development.

Barwell village centre is just 0.3 miles away from the proposed scheme, while land to the south is open fields.

The plans include two car parking spaces for each property along with integral bike storage facilities in adjoining garages.

Outline approval for residential development of the site has previously been granted in 2014 and then renewed again in 2016.

While only outline proposals the previous schemes comprised fewer homes, featuring an indicative layout for nine homes, with four dwellings fronting onto St Marys Court and a further five dwellings off a new access road leading to the rear.

A mix of dwellings was suggested including detached houses, town houses and bungalows all with off-street parking.

On granting permission council officers recognised the site was in the countryside and part of the ‘green wedge’ but concluded a development of nine homes would not adversely affect the overall character of the site.