Oadby residents fight a 120-home extension near Sutton Close, citing traffic, strained services, and loss of green space.
Local plans guide where new buildings can go. They aim to protect towns from overdevelopment. Council papers show fields near Sutton Close could get homes, and these houses would extend Cottage Farm. That area could total around 720 homes.
Residents strongly oppose this local plan addition. They worry about losing green space and say that roads and services are already stressed. They know the council needs to build more homes, but claim that bad planning choices hurt everyone.
Roads around the area are very busy now. School times make traffic especially bad, and more cars could make things worse for kids. Schools have emailed parents about traffic problems. Some residents couldn’t leave for work, emails show, and they complained about the traffic.
Emergency vehicles have trouble too. An ambulance was blocked from reaching someone because of the bad traffic. New homes would make traffic much worse and it could become dangerously bad, people argue. They’re seriously worried about it.
Local services are stretched thin already. Schools can’t handle more students right now, and doctor appointments take too long. The council shouldn’t harm the area long term. Housing targets shouldn’t mean bad choices, and building in the right spots matters most. Don’t build just anywhere, people say.
The council asked for public feedback on the plan. That ended on February 21st. Now, they’ll review all comments. Then, they’ll send it to the planning inspectorate. Before building, they need a traffic study that will look at nearby roads.
The council wants money for schools and healthcare, which comes with any building project, they said. Twenty percent of homes must be affordable. Parks and sports fields are also needed, and new building should improve nature by ten percent.