Villagers to be given a say on new Asfordby Neighbourhood Plan

Leaflets are being distributed next week to households inviting people to contribute to a new draft neighbourhood plan.

A plan was approved five years ago following a local referendum but it was withdrawn and quoshed the following year as a result of a High Court order.

Now parish councillors are keen to revisit the idea of establishing a plan in a bid to prevent greenfield sites being built on, particularly land which separates the village from Asfordby Hill and Asfordby Valley, and encourage more development on brownfield sites.

At their lastest meeting, they discussed national media reports which indicated a need for thousands more homes across the country than originally predicted and fear this will have consequences for the Asfordby villages.

Ronnie de Burle, chair of the parish council, told the Melton Times: “Villagers and councillors are very concerned by the reports, especially because since the original neighbourhood plan had been quoshed planning applications for 170 additional houses on greenfield land, not included in the original plan, have been made in the villages of Asfordby.

“Villagers fear that large areas of greenfield land to the north of the village bypass, originally identified by the county’s strategic planners as potential develpment land, could be snapped up for building if no attempt were made to protect it.

“I hope villagers will support the plan we are putting forward.”

The latest version of the neighbourhood plan builds on the previous one but has been updated with changes to planning regulations and subsequent developments which have taken place.

It will be consulted on in the parish and with interested parties for six weeks, until 5pm on Friday April 1, with residents, business owners and community groups able to comment and make representations.

The parish council will then decide on any changes before it is sent to Melton Borough Council and then an independent inspector before a final local referendum.