HDC’s future housing plan is flawed
The campaign group ‘Stop the New Town’ (STNT) submitted its objections to Harborough District Council’s (HDC) new Local Plan 2020 – 2041. The plan proposes 6,000 houses on a strategic site south of the Gartree Road, which would destroy the countryside between the A6 and the Gartree Road.
Residents from Great Glen, Stretton Hall, Oadby and surrounding villages attended a public meeting on 10 April, and hundreds more joined them. Dr Henri Winand, who leads the campaign, said, “We have surpassed 1,100 and numbers continue to increase.”
STNT points to the lack of infrastructure to support the development, including the congested A6 and Gartree Road. And the increased risk of flooding from run-off into the Oadby Washbrook and the Sence River through Great Glen. In January 2025, Great Glen suffered the worst flooding since records began, damaging homes and businesses.
Leicestershire County Council and HDC’s consultants have both criticised the plan as premature, unsound, and of marginal viability. STNT further argues that the proposal is flawed at a strategic level. It is poorly considered, unjustified, ineffective, and inconsistent with national policy. The campaign suggests that HDC is still pursuing a growth strategy based on the abandoned A46 expressway proposal. This strategic site is isolated from public transport and would promote car dependency along the A6 corridor and minor country lanes. STNT also points to overinflated housing targets and the inconsistency in destroying countryside when brownfield land is available. Dr Winand states that residents are rejecting the needless destruction of local countryside.
STNT press statement
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