£13m grant to kickstart new homes programme
Grant to help start building work on over 1,000 homes in county
THE building of more than 1,000 homes in Leicestershire is to be kickstarted by a muti-million-pound Government grant.
More than £13 million of Homes England cash has been offered to Leicestershire County Council to pay for roads and other infrastructure to accelerate construction work over three sites.
County Hall has welcomed the grant, though some of the developments it will support have been controversial with nearby residents.
Some of the cash will pay for an access road to open up a 44-acre site where 649 homes are set to be built near Lutterworth.
That development will be part of a wider 2,750-home scheme, named Lutterworth East, on land owned by the county council next to the M1.
The authority stands to make £30 million from the sale of 500 acres of farmland in the area.
Some £4.4 million of the grant will go towards infrastructure costs for another County Hall-backed plan that could see 290 homes built at Sysonby Farm, Nottingham Road, north of Melton.
The county council owns the land and has lodged a planning application as part of wider plans for the town’s distributor road.
The remainder of the cash will support the redevelopment of the land for 144 new houses at Snibston in Coalville on the site that used to be the discovery museum before it was closed by the county council in 2015 to save money.
Executive director for Land in at Homes England Stephen Kinsella said: “This funding will enable Leicestershire County Council to accelerate their regeneration plans by enabling them to prepare these sites for development and bringing forward the construction of new houses.”
A Leicestershire County Council spokesman said: “This is excellent news. Leicestershire is growing and planning ahead to ensure communities have the right roads and infrastructure in the right place is key.
“By bidding to Government to secure vital funds, we’re unlocking millions of pounds to invest in muchneeded new homes, infrastructure and regeneration.”
Government estimates say Leicestershire’s projected population growth up to 2051 mean land will have to be found for around 180,000 new homes.
Those numbers have been questioned by campaigners opposing plans to build in rural areas but councils have agreed in principle to support a long-term strategic growth plan to provide them.