Harborough Local Plan faces key vote

A major plan outlining where development could take place across Harborough District over the next 15 years faces a key council vote tonight.

Councillors will decide whether to submit the new Local Plan to the government for independent examination.

The blueprint proposes nearly 6,500 new homes, along with employment land, schools, health services, retail, and other community infrastructure.

Campaigners opposed to a new settlement near Great Glen are expected to attend the meeting at the council’s Symington Building HQ.

Land identified for new housing to the north of Market Harborough

Up to 4,000 homes are planned at Stretton Hall, covering more than 900 acres and the campaign group Stop The New Town (STNT) says the scale of development would put major pressure on roads, infrastructure, and the surrounding countryside.

Over 2,300 objections were submitted during consultation.

The plan also includes more than 1,400 homes north of Market Harborough and sites in Kibworth, Great Glen, Lutterworth, Great Bowden, Husbands Bosworth, and Fleckney.

Cllr Simon Galton, Cabinet lead for Planning, says the plan will help manage housing pressure and avoid thousands of extra homes under the government’s new planning system.

STNT Chair Dr Henri Winand said: “Residents are not opposing housing. They want a Local Plan that is deliverable and properly supported by infrastructure.

“Councillors are being asked if this plan is genuinely ready for scrutiny. We believe it is not.”