Proposals to build up to 53 homes at derelict former cheese factory site in Harby are unanimously refused

Melton Council’s planning committee unanimously refused the outline planning application for the old Millway Foods site in Colston Lane - a long-standing eyesore in the village.

Councillors agreed with an officer’s recommendation to refuse the scheme on grounds including that the density of the proposed development was too high and would be out of keeping with the village of Harby.

They also felt it would have created a ‘detached community’, which wouldn’t be socially cohesive. Some councillors expressed their preference for a mixed-use redevelopment of the site and for it to be developed for commercial use.

But agent for the applicants Rob Hughes, who argued that perceived adverse impacts of the development didn’t outweigh its benefits, told councillors the site had been marketed for 12 years but with no firm interest for use as employment land.