The adopted Development Plan for the Site comprises the adopted North West Leicestershire Local Plan (2021) and the Leicestershire Minerals and Waste Local Plan (2019). All planning applications must be determined in accordance with the adopted Development Plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
The Site is north of Coalville, within the ‘Coalville Urban Area’ (comprising Coalville, Donington le Heath, Greenhill, Hugglescote, Snibston, Thringstone, Whitwick and Bardon employment area) and is identifed as the ‘Principal Town’ in the settlement hierarchy and the most sustainable location for development. The Site is located within an identifed ‘Area of Separation’ (Adopted Local Plan Policy En5) in the adopted Plan. The emerging new Local Plan removes the western section of the Site from this area. Additionally, in NWLDC’s Areas of Separation Report (May 2022), much of the Site is regarded as having an ‘incidental’ or ‘secondary’ contribution to the Area of Separation.
NWLDC is in the process of producing a new Local Plan and is proposing to allocate the western part of the Site for residential development in the latest version of the new Local Plan (Regulation 18 – March 2025). This demonstrates that NWLDC regards this location and the western part of the Site as being appropriate in principle for residential development.
The Council’s Five Year Housing Land Supply Statement claims that at 1st April 2025 the Council has a deliverable supply of 2,784 dwellings (equating to 15.6 years). However, Emery Planning have undertaken a review of this on David Wilson Homes’ behalf and concluded that the Council’s deliverable supply is in actuality 3.68 years and therefore there is a clear need for housing within this area.