Work on 40 new ‘affordable’ homes in the village field will start next year

Work on new homes in the fields of Leicestershire will start next year. Housing provider Longhurst Group, which manages more than 24,000 properties, bought the land on the edge of Rothely and will be responsible for building the home.

Set to be a mix of flats and houses, they will be located off Cossington Lane, between the village and the A6. Planning permission has already been granted by Charnwood Borough Council, meaning the homes have been approved in principle.

However, a ‘reserved aspects’ application, which will finalize the details of the development, still needs to be submitted and approved before any work can take place. Property consultant Mather Jamie, who negotiated the sale by the original owner, said the Cossington Lane site would be used for an “affordable” housing scheme once full permission is granted, with work due to start next year.

READ MORE: Developer bids to build 40 new homes on fields near Rothley

The Longhurst Group added that it is “working closely with partners” to develop the final app. Marcus Keys, executive director of growth, development and assets at Longhurst Group, said: “We are committed to delivering homes that people want, where they are needed most and so this opportunity to build affordable homes so needed in this part of Leicestershire is an interesting one for the group.

“We have worked closely with our partners to deliver this deal and develop our reserved issue planning application. I look forward to the next stage of this process and seeing our plans become reality as we enable more local people to take their first step on the property ladder.”

Longhurst Group has said it aims to build around 600 new affordable homes each year. Its employees include “hundreds of people who provide care and support to people in its specialist homes”, the company added.

A contractor – MyPad of Beeston, Nottinghamshire – has been chosen to carry out the building work, which is due to start in July 2025. The first homes are expected to be ready in January 2026.

John Turner, Director of Lands and Partnerships at MyPad, said: “We intend to build on our early positive engagement with Charnwood Borough Council to ensure that our proposals address specific affordable housing needs and have a positive impact on the community local”.

When the Rothley planning application was first submitted to Charnwood Borough Council in 2021, there were numerous objections. These included concerns that the development would exacerbate traffic and flooding problems in the area.

The two-and-a-half-acre field was previously used for farming, but new housing has recently been built on the adjoining land.