Five new schools, almost 9,000 new jobs and 15,500-plus new homes - council unveils its plans for the future

A council has unveiled a far-reaching plan which could see almost 9,000 jobs created and tens of thousands of new homes built across Loughborough and the wider borough.

Five new schools would also be built under the blueprint for growth across Charnwood.

The Charnwood Local Plan proposes to dedicate 154 hectares of land for new businesses which it believes could create 8,900 jobs to help lead the borough's post-pandemic recovery

Also included, is land allocated for "sustainable" homes to help Charnwood Borough Council achieve a Government target of 1,111 new homes a year between now and 2037.

Towns such as Loughborough, Shepshed and Syston as well as villages including Barrow and Anstey are expecting five new schools as well as plans for health services, roads and public transport networks

Councillor Richard Bailey, the council’s lead member for planning, thanked those involved as he predicted the plan would come under "intense scrutiny".

He said: “A local plan is critical to making sure areas can grow in a sustainable way, creating homes and jobs that people need, ensuring we have the right infrastructure to support our communities and making sure we are looking after the environment.

“Local Plans also come under intense scrutiny from the planning inspector, developers and other interested parties so we have to make sure we get this right.

“We have now submitted to Government our local plan and all the comments from the latest consultation, which included representations from residents, developers and other organisations.

“I would once again like to thank everyone took part in the consultation exercises and helped shape this plan.”

The council said the document, which sets out the policies and proposals for the development and use of land in the area, also considers the impacts of climate change, infrastructure needs and the protection of green spaces.

The submitted documents also plan to protect the 279 square kilometres of open countryside within the borough - in a bid to "intensify" and "extend" existing urban and suburban areas as well as larger villages.

The plans also estimate an extra £200 million in contributions from developers, which will be used to pay for other improvements to facilities and amenities.

The plan was developed following four public consultations, including the latest one in the summer which drew more than 700 representations.

The submission to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. marks the start of the formal examination of the proposals, which will be carried out by an independent inspector nominated by the Planning Inspectorate.They will examine whether the plan has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements.