Layout and design of 322 homes agreed by council

A DEVELOPMENT of 322 homes on farm land at the edge of Earl Shilton has moved a step closer.

Planners at Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council approved details of the landscaping and layout for the development planned for Westfield Farm in Keats Lane, Earl Shilton.

The latest approval follows on from a planning meeting in 2016 when outline planning permission was granted for 322 homes on the site.

There will be six one bedroomed terraced houses, nine one bedroomed apartments, four two bedroomed bungalows, four two bedroomed mews, 52 two bedroomed terraced houses, 97 three bedroomed semi detached houses, 24 three bedroomed detached houses, 17 four bedroomed semi detached houses, 97 four bedroomed detached houses and 12 five bedroomed detached houses. In among them will be 66 affordable homes which is 20 per cent of the total.

There will also be parkland, green space, land for an extension to the Heath Lane Surgery, land for organisations which employ people and an area for ball games.

The site plan avoids building on the area where a family of badgers have their sett.

The area around the sett is to be designated a nature reserve and corridors free of housing and gardens will be left for the badgers to travel along as they look for food.

Gardens backing on to the reserve will have metal netting on their fences to stop the badgers getting in to their gardens.

In return for the planning permission developers will be expected to pay towards local services. They will have to pay just over £1 million towards primary education in the village and £1.2 million towards secondary education.

They will also have to pay £102,000 to create a children’s playground, at the site, £14,000 towards Earl Shilton Library and £245,000 towards 6 month bus passes for people moving in to the new houses.

The developers will donate land and pay £51,000 for the extension of the Heath Lane Surgery which will serve people living in the new development.