Village homes appeal rejected

An appeal against the refusal of a 134-home development in Sharnford has been rejected. 

A government planning inspector has upheld Blaby District Council’s original decision to reject the scheme. 

The inspector agreed with the Council’s view that the proposed site, north of Leicester Road, was unsustainable and unsuitable for new housing. 

Following a visit to the village the inspector noted just picking up milk and bread was not a simple task: "Sharnford is extremely limited in terms of the services and facilities within it. I accept that there is a school, public houses, play areas and a car garage, but note that there is no shop or post office.  

"As such, facilities for day-to-day living and convenience are not available within the village itself, with residents instead needing to travel to other nearby settlements, such as Sapcote or Stoney Stanton for day-to-day services and facilities." 

He said while bus services and walking routes were available linking Sharnford to neighbouring villages he wasn’t convinced they were an easy, realistic or practical alternative to a car. 

Referring to both national and the Council’s own planning development policies he concluded "the appeal site is not a sustainable location and is not therefore a suitable location for the development proposed." 

The decision has been welcomed by ward representative and Planning and Strategic Growth Portfolio Holder, Councillor Mike Shirley. He said: "We are pleased the planning inspector agreed with our view that the proposed location for this development was entirely unsuitable. 

"Planning policy makes it clear any new housing scheme should be sited sustainably with options for residents to work, shop and access amenities which don’t solely rely on the use of a private car. Our original refusal was based on the lack of these options and it’s gratifying to see our refusal upheld for the same reasons."

Councillor Mike Shirley
Portfolio Holder for Planning and Strategic Growth