Block of flats plan is knocked off track

28-APARTMENT COMPLEX WAS REFUSED OVER HABITAT LOSS

A CONTROVERSIAL bid to build a fivestorey block of flats next to a former historic railway line in Leicester has failed.

Officials at Leicester City Council have refused permission for the 28-apartment complex at The Rally Bank, near Red Hill Way.

The council received 25 objections to the proposal for the site, which is next to the old Great Central Railway line, ranging from concerns about the impact of traffic it would create on nearby roads to the extra pressures new residents would place on local health services.

Further concerns centred on the development hampering the potential reopening of the railway line, which closed in the 1960s - though there are no credible plans to restore it.

However, it was concern about the impact on wildlife which led to the council’s refusal, with the authority deciding the proposal would be detrimental to the ecological value of the site and an unacceptable loss of what is a wooded space.

One objector said: “The loss of a piece of nature which is not replaceable, there are badgers, foxes, bats and a variety of birds which make this their home and habitats are being lost all around.

“I want to object due on the grounds that removal of a vast amount of trees, which absorb copious amounts of water, poses a risk to the structure of homes which have been here for years.” Others argued they would be overlooked by the new flats and would lose their privacy.

The city council says the new block would also not fit in with neighbouring buildings.

Developer Jonathan Ing has the right to appeal against the refusal. In documents lodged with the council, his agent said: “The site has since become an overgrown and dangerous eyesore, which is inaccessible for public enjoyment, and which acts as a physical barrier between existing communities to the east and west.

“The site itself does not accommodate any buildings, but rather is now tree and shrub covered and has an overgrown and unkempt appearance, with several areas identified as being used for illegal dumping or anti-social behaviours. “The proposed scheme offers an opportunity to deliver a high quality and sensitively designed development, which has carefully considered its context and setting, which will contribute towards the provision of much needed new housing.”

There are badgers, foxes, bats and a variety of birds which make this their home

One objector