Blaby District Local Plan
Local Plans are the key documents through which local planning authorities set out a vision and framework for the future development of the area. Local planning authorities are required by the Government to update their Local Plans every five years. The current development plan for Blaby District is out of date, with a new Plan in preparation.
The site has been promoted through the emerging new Blaby District Council Local Plan. While the new plan is being developed, Blaby District Council needs to demonstrate that it is continuing to deliver housing supply.
Increased housing targets for Blaby District
Since the process of producing a new Local Plan for Blaby District commenced, the UK Government has introduced a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This has significantly increased the number of homes that need to be delivered in Blaby District from 380 to 542 new homes per year, an increase in the District’s housing target of 43%.
Five-year housing land supply
The NPPF also requires that local authorities such as Blaby District Council are able to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. This is the amount of land that the Council must identify to ensure there are sufficient deliverable sites for residential development over the next five years.
Blaby District Council published its latest Residential Land Availability Report (2023-2024) in November 2024, prior to the publication of the NPPF. The report showed that the Council could demonstrate a housing land supply of just 3.53 years based on its previous housing targets. With that target having subsequently increased by 43%, the Council’s housing land supply position has deteriorated further.
In circumstances where a local authority has a housing land supply shortfall, Paragraph 11d of the NPPF says that planning permission should be granted unless any adverse impact of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the policies in the Framework when taken as a whole.
Full planning application
In light of the site’s highly sustainable location, a full planning application is being prepared by Barratt Redrow and David Wilson Homes. This will deliver significant benefits in terms of the provision of high-quality new homes to contribute to addressing the existing significant shortfall in supply, while providing extensive new public open space and recreational opportunities on land previously largely inaccessible to the public. The planning application will be supported by a suite of technical studies which demonstrate that any potential impacts of the proposed development can be suitably mitigated and addressed in line with local and national planning policies.
