Big Turnout At Public Meeting Over ‘New Town’ Plan

Nearly 300 people attended a public meeting called by campaigners fighting plans for a ‘new town’ near Great Glen.

Concerns are mounting over the proposal to build 6,000 new homes across fields at Stretton Hall, stretching towards Oadby.

The ‘Stop The New Town’ campaign organised the meeting at Leicester Grammar School on Thursday evening.

Nearly 300 people attended the meeting

4,000 homes on the site have been identified in Harborough District Council’s Draft Local Plan, which maps out preferred development sites over the next 15 years and is currently being consulted on.

There are worries about how existing infrastructure like roads would be able to cope with the influx of new residents, together with the loss of the countryside.

Leicestershire County Council has also expressed concern the Draft Local Plan as a whole does not do enough to mitigate against the impact new homes will have on roads and transport, particularly along the A6 corridor.

Harborough MP Neil O’Brien is concerned about the Stretton Hall plan and spoke to HFM after speaking at the meeting:

Harborough MP Neil O’Brien (second from right) was addressed the meeting

Harborough District Council has previously responded to the concern expressed by the county council and says it will consider the comments ahead of the plan being submitted to government for consideration.

David Atkinson, Director of Planning, said: “We do fully understand that transport infrastructure is one of the key issues communities and residents want when considering our proposed new site allocations and in particular sustainable transport options.

“As a council we fully support such initiatives and are committed to continuing to work with the county council to secure the improvements that are needed.”

Harborough District Council is not expected to be adopting a new local plan until sometime in late 2026 or early 2027.

Following its current consultation, which runs until May 6th, the council will consider the feedback and decide whether to submit the draft plan to government for independent examination in the autumn.

If submitted, an independent inspector will be appointed by government to examine the draft plan before the draft plan can be adopted.