Land at Cottage Farm

Despite limited local objection, the first planning application for the residential development of this greenfield site on the edge of Oadby was refused by the Borough Council.  Permission for the delivery of 150 homes was, however, subsequently secured via a successful planning appeal in 2015.  We presented both planning and landscape evidence to the public inquiry that highlighted the demonstrable need for market and affordable housing provision in the absence of a five year housing land supply, and the clear merits of the site as a sustainable location for growth.

The decision to allow the appeal was subsequently challenged by the Borough Council at both the High Court and Court of Appeal but they were dismissed in 2016.

The Borough Council began a review of its Local Plan shortly after and, now persuaded of the merits of the site as a location for further growth, sought to allocate additional land for the delivery of a further 250 dwellings.

However, the preparation of a robust Masterplan based on a comprehensive evidence base demonstrated that the true capacity of the site to be a further 350 dwellings.  The Masterplan demonstrated how the proposed  development would be set within a robust landscape framework with accessible active travel links connecting to local services and facilities and the surrounding countryside.  It also highlighted how the highly valued sport and recreation facilities adjacent to the site would be both extended and enhanced.

The Masterplan underpinned a second planning application and in 2020  the Borough Council granted planning permission, recognising the significant socio-economic and environmental benefits that the development would provide.