February 2026 – Editorial – I remember when this was all fields!
I am sure I’m not alone in being able to recall my grandparents and parents gazing wistfully across a huge new housing estate and sighing “I remember when this was all green fields”. The ‘Green and Pleasant land’ of William Blake and Hubert Parry has always been prized, whether as an ideal or as a reality for those fortunate enough to live in an area like Kibworth and its surrounding villages. It is a fair assumption that people who move to this area are not, in the main, hoping to find nightclubs, Sushi bars and multiplex cinemas. The beauty and peace of the countryside with its walks and wildlife has to be a strong magnet for those who are lucky enough to have choices.
There is a balance to be struck
There is clearly a complex balance to be struck between preserving the countryside, ensuring there is sufficient housing stock for those who need it and complying with government demands.
That balance, however, seems to be lurching in one direction only in recent times. There are currently five applications for housing development awaiting permission from Harborough District Council. These would involve 1409 dwellings to be built in: Fleckney (150), Great Glen (630) Church Langton (21) and Kibworth (608 including the Warwick Road proposal and the 28 dwelling plan for the green field between Smeeton Westerby and Kibworth). Should approval be given, the majority of these houses, in line with recent developments, could be in Council Tax band D (ie paying about £2,350 per annum). This would represent an income increase of over £3.3 million for Harborough District Council.
It must be difficult for a cash strapped council to turn away the prospect of such an increase in funds but, if we really don’t want any more of our beautiful green spaces to be built on and for developers to look at decaying or so-called ‘brown field sites’ instead, then we really must make our voices heard. Otherwise it may well be us sighing and saying “I remember when this was all fields!”
CT
Calving and lambing day at Bridge 67
