Councillors and residents welcome rejection of housing development

Proposals to put 450 houses between Barlestone and Osbaston have been turned down following huge opposition by residents and Councillors. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Planning Committee recently kicked out the plans to build the new development.

Concerns had been raised that local infrastructure in the villages could not cope with that size of development.

Councillors Bill Crooks (Lib Dem; Barlestone, Osbaston) and Michael Mullaney Lib Dem, parliamentary spokesman for Bosworth, had spoken to residents across the two villages about the plans and collected 434 signatures from local residents opposing the development.

Councillor Bill Crooks said "The plans by Jupiter Strategic Land Developers plans to build 450 houses on green field land situated between Bosworth Road and the A447, most of which is in the Parish of Osbaston were unacceptable. People raised many concerns about the proposed development.

"There are worries that already overstretched local roads could not cope with this size of development, that the local Primary School is already heavily subscribed and could not cope with the possible amount of new students. The sewage works serving the villages are already struggling to cope and this scale of development would be too much for them."

Councillor Michael Mullaney who helped collect the petitions against the development said "A big thank you to everyone who signed the petition. It was clear speaking to people that most people in both Barlestone and Osbaston opposed this development."