Developer Stands Firm on Traffic Survey Amid Whitwick Housing Concerns
A developer is refusing to conduct a new traffic survey for a controversial 13-home project in Whitwick, raising local concerns.
Whitwick, Leicestershire, Traffic Survey, Housing Development, Community Concerns
Whitwick: So, there’s this developer who wants to build 13 new homes in Whitwick, but they’re not keen on doing another traffic survey. The local council had some serious worries about traffic getting worse, especially since they think the area is already a bit of a “rat run.”
Back in November, the planning committee decided to hold off on the project because they felt the original traffic survey was done during the Easter holidays, which might not show the real traffic situation. Local residents and the parish council are pretty anxious that adding more homes will just make things worse, leading to more accidents.
But the developers, Nick Harding and Joanne Tudor, have said they won’t redo the survey. They’re also planning to appeal the council’s decision from November. The committee is set to discuss the project again next week, and the council officers are urging them to either approve or reject it. They’ve warned that if the application gets thrown out, defending against an appeal could be tough.
Interestingly, the local highways authority, Leicestershire County Council, hasn’t raised any red flags about the development affecting nearby roads. They mentioned that the original survey was more about vehicle speeds than actual traffic volume. So, they don’t think the new homes will create enough extra traffic to need another study.
There’s been quite a bit of pushback from the community, with 62 objections filed. People are worried about losing privacy, overshadowing, and the impact on local services like schools and medical centers. Plus, there’s concern about how construction might affect the nearby cemetery, which could be upsetting for families.
Whitwick Parish Council isn’t happy either, calling the plan an “act of ecological vandalism” since it involves tearing down two homes to build a dense development on grassland. Despite all this, planning officers are still recommending that the project gets the green light when the committee meets again.
The proposed homes will include a mix of two to five-bedroom properties, and each will have multiple parking spaces. So, it looks like this debate isn’t over yet!