Yet another 70 homes given green light in village

RESIDENTS SAY FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE CAN’T COPE

A scheme has been approved to build 70 homes on fields on the outskirts of a village.

Developer Richborough Estates is to develop a 2.9-hectare area of agricultural land in Stoke Golding, to the south of Hinckley Road, with 28 of the properties to be so-called “affordable homes”.

The latest development to be agreed will take the number of homes to be built in the historic village to 190, across three schemes.

A new junction will be created on to Hinckley Road to provide access to the estate, according to the plans approved by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.

Speaking at the planning meeting when the proposal was approved, a representative of Richborough Estates said the estate would include a range of family homes as well as smaller homes and bungalows.

The spokesman also suggested some of the properties would be suitable for current villagers looking to downsize.

The company claimed this would enable younger and older village residents to stay in the community when they look to move house.

Richborough will be required to contribute around £420,000 towards education facilities in the area, including £306,000 for St Margaret’s Church of England Primary School.

The village is already facing a sizeable increase in population, as 65 homes are to be built to the east of Roseway, to the north of the village.

Also, a proposal for 55 homes, off Wykin Lane, was granted on appeal in May.

Villager campaign group, Friends of the Community: Stoke Golding, opposed both schemes, raising concerns that the village’s services would not be able to cope with more people.

Tracey Chadwick has lived in the village for 25 years and is part of the group. She told the planning meeting: “You’ve heard from the Friends before about our concerns that continued, uncontrolled growth of our village is unsustainable.

“It’s impossible to get an appointment at our doctors’ surgery, our primary school is full, we have no post office, we have a restricted hourly bus service.”

She warned that although Stoke Golding is the smallest standalone key rural centre in the borough, the village has taken “more than our fair share” of trying to meet a shortfall of houses in the borough.

Stoke Golding borders Bosworth Field, where the Tudor dynasty was born in 1485 at a decisive battle in the Wars of the Roses.

The armies of Henry Tudor clashed with those of King Richard III, who died in the battle and whose House of York was overthrown.

Villagers at the time are said to have witnessed the unofficial rural coronation of Henry VII, and signs at the entrance to the village now boast the legend “Birthplace of the Tudor Dynasty”.