Enforcement action at Sycamore Street

An enforcement notice has been served on land at Sycamore Street on the edge of Bouskell Park in Blaby village.

The notice follows the refusal of a retrospective planning application to change the use of the land to allow for the standing of a static caravan and erection of gates.

Blaby District Council planning committee members rejected the application at a meeting on 27 November.

The notice requires the land ceases to be used as a residential caravan site. It states all mobile homes, vehicles and other development be removed and the land restored to its previous condition.

Development took place over the August bank holiday after a planning application had been submitted.

A number of applications for development on the site have come before Blaby District Council. All have either been withdrawn or refused.

A similar scheme for two caravan pitches plus a dayroom was rejected by planning committee in May 2020. It was then dismissed on appeal in November 2022.

At that time, the government Planning Inspector said the proposal was "entirely discordant with the otherwise undeveloped and thickly vegetated character of this prominent stretch of land fronting the grounds to Blaby Hall and Bouskell Park." 

While the new retrospective application focused on an altered, smaller scheme, planning committee members upheld the officers’ recommendation to refuse.

They agreed the development was at odds with the surrounding parkland and historic landscape.

Councillor Mike Shirley, Blaby District Council Portfolio Holder for Planning and Strategic Growth, said: "As the retrospective planning application was refused the unauthorised development at Sycamore Street must cease, all vehicles and equipment must be removed and the land restored. We are committed to working closely with the applicant to ensure the process runs smoothly."

Councillor Mike Shirley
Portfolio Holder for Planning and Strategic Growth