Decision made on plan to replace single home with nine

A bid to demolish a single home and build nine new ones in its place on the site, near Stoney Cove, has been refused. Applicants Anthony Hatson and Linda Moore submitted the plan for land

designated as countryside at Spring Gardens, in Sapcote. Documents submitted to Blaby District Council (BDC) state that the existing house is two, red brick, 1910-20s semi-detached homes

which have been combined to form one property. The new homes would be put up for sale on the open market. Council officers who reviewed the application advised councillors that the proposed

development was on "designated countryside", and would be a visual intrusion. They added that should the development go ahead, it would result in the loss of allotment land. READ

MORE: Residents hit out at 'monstrosity' Lidl store eyed up for green space There are currently two points of access from Grace Road - the main artery road in and out of Sapcote -

onto the site, documents state. The one next to the existing house is "very narrow", with "poor visibility" to the north, and would be closed off. The current number of

car parking spaces would increase from three to 26, plans note. The existing road to Spring Gardens from Grace Road would be widened to improve access to the site and to the existing eight

homes and 10 allotments. Widening this road will allow two cars to pass in the junction, the application states. Leicestershire County Council , as the local highways authority, described

the cumulative impact of the plan as "severe", and advised BDC to "consider refusal on transport/highway grounds". Planning officers advised BDC's planning committee

to refuse the application on grounds including that the development failed to demonstrate that safe and suitable access for all users would be provided, and that the layout was

unacceptable. They said: "The irregular area of the site and location of access results in an excessive internal roadway alongside plot one, and the layout fails to present a 'fair

face' to the surrounding land and roads." The application notes that the site has views towards Stoney Cove to the north east, and surrounds an existing allotment, which is not

included in the plan. Sapcote Parish Council also objected to the proposal. A spokesperson said: “Not only is this proposal outside of the designated neighbourhood plan boundary, it is a

designated area of green space for the use of allotments. I have in fact been contacted by a resident who holds an allotment plot in the middle of the proposed area and he is confident that

the deeds to his allotment state that the land cannot be built on and must remain for the dedicated use of green space”. The application was refused as per the officers' reasons. We are

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