Nine new homes near Coalville approved despite traffic safety and infrastructure concerns

Plans for nine new homes in a village near Coalville have been approved despite traffic safety concerns and a lack of proposed affordable housing. One home has already been demolished to make way for the development ahead of work beginning this spring.

The proposal, from Mr J Proctor, centres on Fosbrooke Close in Ravenstone, near Coalville, and will see nine homes built on vacant green land behind existing properties in the close which is just off the village’s Ashby Road – a street which has been labelled a “rat run” by some opponents. 11 Fosbrooke Close has already been flattened to make way for the project which will see no affordable homes created on site.

The plan was first submitted in 2022 and has long caused concern among Ravenstone residents, with traffic safety a major worry. One said a “considerable increase” in traffic through Ravenstone could be made worse by the additional homes. They even claimed that turning out of Fosbrooke Close was now “more hazardous” due to vehicles regularly speeding along Ashby Road, while general visibility from the junction itself was restricted.

Planning documents reveal that the homes would be mixed in offering, with three, three-bed single storey detached homes joined by two four-bed two storey homes. The proposals also include four, five-bedroom two storey homes, with detached garages for two of the nine homes and attached garages for the remaining seven.

A new access would be created in place of the now demolished 11 Fosbrooke Close, while the close will still be accessible off Ashby Road. Despite residents’ fears, no safety concerns were raised by highways officials from Leicestershire County Council. In its own reports, North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC), who looked over the plans this week, found there had been no accident reports in the area over the past five years.

Exterior of the now demolished 11 Fosbrooke Close in Ravenstone

It claimed that it could only refuse the scheme if highways teams had found an “unacceptable impact on highway safety”. However, it said no such reports had been made to them.

Concerns were not just limited to traffic, with residents also speaking out on their fears about the increased demand on Ravenstone’s infrastructure amid the proposals, with the village school, Woodstone Community Primary School, among those said to be already struggling. Some even said the lack of affordable housing in the proposal meant the plans were not “suitable” for the village due to growing pressures in Ravenstone.

However, NWLDC made clear in its approval that the proposal did not meet necessary thresholds for affordable housing, saying at least 10 or more homes were needed. It also found that the land was “acceptable” for development despite the loss of greenfield space, saying this loss was not “considered unacceptable”.

Work on the homes is due to begin in March this year according to contractors Bau Street Ltd. They say the scheme is due to be completed by September 2025.