Residents cry fowl over new homes plan

A PLAN has been approved to knock down a former poultry farm and build an estate of 60 homes in its place, despite objections.

The estate will be built on the site of Sturdee Poultry Farm, in Burton on the Wolds, with the homes to include a range of single bedroom maisonettes, and two, three and four bedroom houses.

The estate will be arranged in a mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached homes, of which 40 will be classed as “affordable”.

Vehicles will access the site via the current entrance on Sowters Lane and a new entrance from St Leonard’s Close, a cul-de-sac within a housing estate to the south of Melton Road, the main road through the village.

The site is at the south east end of the village and is bordered to the south by arable fields and open countryside.

Concerns had been raised that the village’s services and infrastructure would struggle to cope with the new residents.

The village’s amenities include a primary school, a small convenience store and The Greyhound Inn pub.

A total of 37 residents wrote to Charnwood Borough Council to object to the scheme, raising concerns about a lack of public transport and capacity at the school.

Many residents made the same points, such as one from St Leonard’s

Close saying in a letter to the council: “Currently, my young children play out on the street on Saint Leonard’s Close and this would not be possible with the addition of these houses and the access through Saint Leonard’s.

“The street is a nice, quiet residential cul de sac that will be turned into a main road for the new development.

“This will result in a permanent disturbance to our peace and quiet that we currently enjoy.”