Work starts on roads for city housing development
£10M OF WORK FREES UP LAND SET ASIDE FOR 3,000 HOMES
WORK has started on a £10 million highway infrastructure scheme designed to free up land for further development on the outskirts of Leicester.
The project will see the creation of 1.7 miles of roads and highway infrastructure around Leicester City Council’s Ashton Green housing site, near Beaumont Leys.
It is being built on land to the west of Ashton Green Road and will provide access to 40 hectares of land.
In 2018, the council was one of 133 planning authorities to successfully bid for a share of the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, which aims to help unlock potential for development.
A council spokesman said: “The cash will pay for a link road connecting Thurcaston Road and Ashton Green Road, along the north edge of the Samworths Bakery site.
“The work will also involve the construction of a main spine road into the Ashton Green development, along with drainage and other infrastructure for a future village centre.”
He said Thurcaston Road will be widened from its junction with Bennion Road to where it will join the new link road north of the bakery.
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “These important highway works will help unlock a next phase of development at Ashton Green and the building of more than 3,000 homes.
“The funding from Homes England is a vital catalyst which will ultimately help attract an additional £150 million of private investment from developers over the next five years.
“Ashton Green is an essential part of the city’s commitment to building the 30,000 new homes needed in Leicester over the next 10 to 15 years and will contribute greatly to the local economic growth.”
The work is being carried out by Galliford Try. The highways infrastructure work is expected to take about 14 months.
Leicester City Council is the principal landowner and promoter of the Ashton Green development.
Up to 30 per cent of the new homes will be designated affordable for rent and for shared ownership.