The plan for 95 homes was rejected due to greenbelt and traffic concerns

A plan to build 95 homes on nine fields on the edge of a Leicestershire village has been refused over traffic concerns and the potential damage it could cause to the landscape. Harrow Estates wanted to build homes on land to the east of The Common in Barwell, but Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council (HBBC) has now refused the plan.

There were 13 objections to the scheme, with local residents expressing concerns about encroachment on green space, the risk of flooding, motorway safety and loss of privacy. Leicestershire County Council’s highways team also objected to the plan, saying more information was needed before it could properly assess what impact the homes would have on local roads.

The land is on the green between Hinckley, Barwell, Earl Shilton and Burbage. HBBC said the land provided recreational opportunities, fulfilled an agricultural role, provided opportunities for flora and fauna to flourish and linked urban areas with open countryside.

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The estate would have had an access road off the Common and would have included a network of footpaths and public open space, according to the planning application. The nearly 27 acre site is currently used as paddocks, with the fields separated by mature hedges and trees.

Previous attempts have been made to build on the land, proposals to build 185 homes by Gladman Developments were rejected by planning officers in 2017 on similar grounds and the decision was later upheld on appeal. A bid by Harrow Estates to build 110 homes was rejected on appeal last year after the council failed to make a decision on the application within the government’s deadline.

In relation to the latest application, the council’s planning officers said in their report that while there were some benefits to the Harrow Estates plan – namely the contribution the houses would make to neighborhood housing and affordable housing accessible – the impact on green space, landscape and the “intrinsic value, beauty and undeveloped rural character of the area” meant that the negatives outweighed the positives.

The report added: “A significant negative weight is allocated in light of the lack of evidence that the development would not have a significant impact on the motorway network and would not pose a risk to motorway safety and the lack of development mitigation obligations. impact on the infrastructure.”

The decision was made by delegated authority, which allows planning officers to decide applications on behalf of the council’s planning committee.

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