It’s been a busy few weeks locally, with two significant updates that I’m really pleased to be able to share with you…
10,000-home development near Norton-juxta-Twycross
Firstly, I wanted to share the news with you that Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council has removed the 10,000-home development near Norton-juxta-Twycross from its Local Plan.
It’s welcome news that the Borough Council has recognised that this part of the proposed Local Plan was not fit for purpose and has removed it.
Many of you got in touch with me about this proposal, raising serious concerns about its scale, the loss of farmland, and the pressure it would place on already stretched rural roads and infrastructure. I shared those concerns and made sure they were raised directly with the Council, challenging the process and ensuring our community’s voice was properly heard.
This decision is significant and reflects both the strength of local feeling and the weight of the concerns raised. It shows that when residents speak up, it can make a real difference.
However, it also highlights a much wider issue. The Labour Government has increased the number of expected houses to be built by +59% in Hinckley and Bosworth and +74% in North West Leicestershire, while reducing them in Leicester City by -31%. That is shocking, particularly when the city has brownfield sites and, crucially, the existing infrastructure to support development.
At the same time, development locally continues to be compounded by the Liberal Democrat-run Borough Council still not having an up-to-date Local Plan, meaning the protections our area needs are simply not in place. This has been dragging on for years and must be resolved.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took the time to engage with this process and make their views known – I am so pleased you have been heard!
Watling Street bridge on the A5
Alongside this, there has also been long-awaited progress on an issue that many of you will be all too familiar with - the Watling Street bridge on the A5.
You may have seen that the Watling Street bridge was recently renamed the most bashed bridge in Britain, after it was struck 22 times in one year.
Each time the bridge is hit, it causes hours of delays, lost money to the economy and frustration to people in the surrounding areas which are used as rat-runs to avoid long queues.
Well, I’m pleased to share that work to lower the road under the bridge will take place this summer, with restrictions due to start from 5th May. This is something our area has been waiting a long time for, and I’m proud to have played my part in helping get this work over the line.
There will, of course, be some disruption. A temporary traffic order will allow for a short period of closures on the A5 between Hammonds Way and Dodwells roundabout. I’ve been assured this will take place over a couple of weeks during the summer holidays, and I will share more details on this when I have them.
I know many people will be concerned about where diverted traffic will go during this time. Diversions for HGVs will be clearly signed via the M69, M6 and M42, and I would urge anyone who sees unsuitable routes being used, such as Nutts Lane, to report details to me (my email is [email protected]) so that I can raise this with the relevant company.
One question I have been asked around funding for the works. To be clear, this work is not being undertaken by National Highways or another public agency. Mountpark, the developer of a logistics park which was granted planning permission in 2023, is funding the work. The lowering of the road is a planning condition that I pushed for, to ensure that the issue of the bridge – a problem for decades – would be solved!
I appreciate that any roadworks bring frustration, but I think we can all agree that fixing this bridge is long overdue. This is short-term pain for long-term gain, and these improvements will make a real difference - not just for those using the A5, but for residents in the surrounding areas who are affected every time the bridge is struck.
As always, I will keep you updated as soon as I know more.
