Leicestershire’s 2,000-home construction decision deferred

A decision regarding the potential construction of approximately 2,000 additional homes in Harborough over the next 13 years has been postponed.

In a recent full council meeting of the Harborough District Council, the discussion centred on whether the region should accommodate a portion of the 18,700 homes required in Leicester, despite the city’s claim of insufficient space.

All local authorities within Leicestershire have been called upon to allocate space for some of these homes, with seven already committing to do so through a statement of common ground.

However, local Members of Parliament, including Neil O’Brien (Harborough, Oadby and Wigston), Alicia Kearns (Rutland and Melton), and Alberto Costa (South Leicestershire), jointly wrote to Council Leader Phil Knowles, urging him not to sign the agreement.

They criticized the proposed increase, equivalent to an additional 123 new homes annually on top of the district council’s current annual target of 534 houses, as “unfair, unnecessary, and environmentally unfriendly.”

At the moment, if the council does not show it has complied with its duty to cooperate, its plan could be rejected and developers could take advantage of that.

Harborough District Council is in a situation where it needs to revise its outdated local plan, which extends until 2031.

Harborough District Council says it cannot wait long to submit its new plan due to the upcoming changes in the law regarding the duty to cooperate.