Timing for building of new school debated as 290 new Melton homes are approved

Morris Homes were given the green light for the Sysonby Farm housing development at the latest Melton Borough Council planning meeting and separate applications will now be submitted for a school and a local centre, to include shops and local services.

There have been local concerns voiced that the town lacks the infrastructure to cope with thousands of homes being built adjacent to the route of the new Melton Mowbray Distributor Road (MMDR), with multiple developers contributing to the cost of the route, which is due to open early next year.

And some of the 22 objectors to this scheme said local doctors, dentists and schools would not be able to cope with the increase in population.

Councillor Ian Atherton asked planning officials at the meeting what guarantees the council had to ensure the planned primary school ‘will be built in the same time frames as the housing estate’.

And the committee was told that the land for the school had been secured via a section 106 agreement with Morris Homes and that it would be made available to Leicestershire County Council before the first occupation of 10 per cent of the homes or 24 months from the date of the first reserved matters approval or a later date as agreed with County Hall.

The school will be the fourth and final phase of the development, following on from the local centre being built.

The development will be off roundabout one of the MMDR, off the A606 Nottingham Road, with that structure due to be completed next month.

The 290 homes are the second phase, with 51 classed as affordable properties.

Councillor Atherton praised the developer for spreading out the affordable homes across the site rather than clumping them together.

He told the meeting: “This is something we should look to do with future applications of this size.”

Planning officials said the site, which comprises six undulating fields, is suitable for new homes and is at low risk of flooding.