LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE - 2050: LLEP

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LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE - 2050: LLEP
LEICESTER &
LEICESTERSHIRE
2050:
OUR VISION
FOR GROWTH

                 SEPTEMBER 2018
LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE - 2050: LLEP
FOREWORD
                                                               The Strategic Growth Plan has been prepared by the ten partner
                                                               organisations in Leicester & Leicestershire to provide a long term
                                                               vision that will address the challenges we face and the opportunities
                                                               presented to us. It is a non-statutory plan but it sets out our agreed
                                                               strategy for the period to 2050. We will deliver the strategy through
                                                               our Local Plans.

                                                               We have listened to the comments submitted in response to our
                                                               consultation and this document is the final version of the Plan. It
                                                               explains the approach that we have taken in preparing the Plan,
                                                               identifies broad locations where we think that development should
                                                               take place and the infrastructure needed to deliver it. We will
                                                               now work with local people, businesses, developers, landowners,
                                                               government and statutory organisations to deliver the strategy and
                                                               secure the infrastructure which is so critical to its success.

                                                               Cllr Trevor Pendleton
                                                               Chair, Members’ Advisory Group for the Strategic Growth Plan

Our Partners:

This document has been prepared on behalf of: Blaby District Council, Charnwood Borough Council,
Harborough District Council, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, Leicester City Council, Leicestershire
County Council, Leicester & Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, Melton Borough Council, North West
Leicestershire District Council and Oadby & Wigston Borough Council.

© OpenStreetMap contributors | openstreetmap.org

  1     LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH
LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE - 2050: LLEP
CONTENTS

01                    02                       03
LEICESTER &           RECOGNISING THE          PLANNING FOR
LEICESTERSHIRE        CHALLENGE                OUR GROWTH AND
TODAY                                          INFRASTRUCTURE

04                    05                       06
THE BUILDING BLOCKS   OUR OVERALL              OUR SPATIAL
FOR OUR PLAN          APPROACH                 STRATEGY

07                    APP
OUR COMMITMENT        APPENDIX A
TO DELIVERY
                      APPENDIX B

                                        STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018   2
LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE - 2050: LLEP
LEICESTER &
LEICESTERSHIRE
TODAY

OUR STRENGTHS:
Great location and connectivity
– at the heart of the UK, with
nationally significant road, rail
and air services, and businesses
that have the potential to export
more goods and services

Growing and diverse economy
– with employment opportunities
ranging from traditional
manufacturing, logistics and
                                        Distinctive environmental,
                                        historic and other assets -
                                        beautiful countryside, valuable
                                        flora and fauna, thriving market
                                        towns and popular villages,
                                        country parks, waterways and
                                        canals

                                        A diverse and multi-cultural
                                        city - with a young population,
                                        unique history, global tourism
                                                                                        1
                                                                            Three outstanding universities
                                                                            – globally significant in space,
                                                                            engineering and sports science,
                                                                            and high quality FE colleges.

                                                                              IN SHORT, A
                                                                              COMBINATION
distribution to cutting edge,           appeal, and attractive city           THAT OFFERS
research and enterprise,
innovation and technology
                                        centre with great shops, leisure,
                                        arts and entertainment
                                                                              EXCEPTIONAL
sectors                                                                       QUALITY OF LIFE
                                                                              AND BUSINESS
                                                                              OPPORTUNITY

OUR WEAKNESSES:
Congestion on our roads and             Poor economic productivity          Outside the City, an ageing
railways - we are tackling this         per head of population - lower      population, not economically
but further investment is needed        than the national and regional      active but relatively wealthy.
to continue improvements and            averages                            A strong influence on the
support our long term growth                                                number and type of dwellings
                                        Low pay structure – many
Gaps in the road and rail               highly skilled employees and        Pressures on existing
network - travelling north-             graduates move away, travel         communities from new
south is relatively easy (albeit        costs are high for those on a       development, lack of
congested) but east-west links          low wage making it difficult to     infrastructure and services
are slow and unreliable                 access jobs                         such as education
                                                                            and health
                                        High levels of commuting -
                                        some of the most important
                                        employment areas are remote
                                        from places where people live

 3   LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH
LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE - 2050: LLEP
RECOGNISING
 THE CHALLENGE
 Leicester & Leicestershire has        The Strategic Growth Plan has                                    The Strategic Growth Plan
 huge potential for growth.            been prepared by the ten partner                                 focuses on four key matters:
 Located at the very heart of the      organisations - the City Council,
 UK, with a population of over         the County Council, the seven                                    ■ delivering new housing
 1 million, a thriving and vibrant     boroughs and districts, and
 city, distinctive and characterful    the Leicester & Leicestershire                                   ■ supporting the economy
 market towns, three universities      Enterprise Partnership – to
 and an international airport,         provide a plan which will shape                                  ■ identifying essential
 our economy contributes some          the future of Leicester and                                        infrastructure, and
 £23bn to the UK economy. We           Leicestershire in the period
 have much to offer in terms of        to 2050. It is a ‘non-statutory’                                 ■ protecting our environment
 quality of life.                      plan but it provides an agreed                                     and built heritage.
                                       framework which we will use
 We want to play our part in           when preparing our individual                                    We have not started with a
 developing the UK economy,            Local Plans and other strategies.                                blank sheet. Government, local
 improve productivity and create                                                                        and regional agencies are also
 the conditions for growth. We                                                                          making plans. Where these
 want to increase the speed                                                                             already have a measure of
 of housing delivery, remove                                                                            support, we have used them as
 the barriers that have slowed                                                                          a basis for our work. We have
 progress to date, and ensure that                                                                      also commissioned evidence
 there is a good supply of new                                                                          to inform our work and this is
                                                                  NEWCASTLEE
 housing for people who need                     CARL
                                                    LISLE         UPON TYNE
                                                                          E                             available on our website.*
 it. We also want to protect the
 places and features that make                                                                              GREAT

                                                                                                                        2
 Leicester & Leicestershire special.
                                                                                                            LOCATION AND
 If we are to be successful, we                                                                             CONNECTIVITY
 need to plan for the future at a
 ‘larger than local’ level and for                                      LEEDS
                                                                                  YORK
                                                                                                            – AT THE HEART
 the longer term. This allows us                                                                            OF THE UK
 to consider a wider range of                             MA
                                                           ANCHE
                                                               E
                                                               ESTER
                                                   LIVERPO
                                                     VERPOOL
                                                         OO
                                                         OOL
                                                         OO
 possibilities.                                                          SHEFFIE
                                                                             FIE
                                                                               EL
                                                                               ELD
                                                                               E

                                                             STO
                                                              TO
                                                               OK
                                                               OK
                                                                KE-ON      NOTTTII
                                                                               TINGHAM
                                                                               T
                                                              -TRE
                                                                 ENT
                                                                 E       DERBY

 FIGURE 1:                                                         LEICESTER &             P
                                                                                           PETERBOROUGH

 LEICESTER &                                                      LEICESTERSHIRE
                                                               BIRMIINGHAM
                                                                   INGHAM
                                                                     N HA
                                                                        AM
                                                                        A
                                                                                                                  NORWIC
                                                                                                                       CH

 LEICESTERSHIRE:
                                                                       COVENTR
                                                                       CO  NT
                                                                           NTRY
                                                                            TRY

 A CENTRAL                                                  WORC
                                                              RCET
                                                                 TER
                                                                 T                NORTH
                                                                                    RTH
                                                                                     TH M
                                                                                     THAMPTON
                                                                                          BEDFORD
                                                                                              OR
                                                                                                 CAMBRI
                                                                                                   M RIDGE

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                                                                                                                    WICH
                                                                                                                       CH
                                                                                     MILTO
                                                                                        TON
                                                                                         ON
 LOCATION                                              GLOUCEST
                                                              TE
                                                              TER
                                                              T
                                                                                     KEYNESS               FELIXSTOW
                                                                                                                   OWE
                                                                                                                    WE

                                                                           OXFORD
                                                                                D

                                                                                               LONDON
                                                       BRISTOL
                                                       BRIS                     READING

                                                                        SOUTHAM
                                                                          UTHAM
                                                                          UTHAMPTON
                                                                            HAM
                                                                              MPTON
                                                                              MPTON
                                                                                              BRIGHTON

                                       EXET
                                         ET
                                          TE
                                          T ER

                                                                                            STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018      4

*llstrategicgrowthplan.org.uk
LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE - 2050: LLEP
3
PLANNING FOR
OUR GROWTH AND
INFRASTRUCTURE
CALCULATING OUR HOUSING
AND EMPLOYMENT NEEDS
2011-31 (AND 2036)

The Strategic Growth Plan covers
the whole of the period from
2011-50. It is not possible to
produce accurate estimates of
the scale of growth that is likely
to be required for the whole of
the period up to 2050 but we
can divide it into stages.
                                               2031-50

                                               For the period 2031-50, we can
                                               use government statistics and
                                               economic forecasts only for the
                                               period 2031-36. Beyond that,
                                               there are no reliable estimates of
                                               population growth or household
                                               change, nor economic forecasts,
                                               but we need to have some
                                                                                                   These are referred to as our
                                                                                                   ‘notional’ needs and have been
                                                                                                   produced by projecting forward
                                                                                                   the annual figures given in our
                                                                                                   study of housing and economic
                                                                                                   development needs. This
                                                                                                   indicates that, across Leicester
                                                                                                   & Leicestershire, we will need an
                                               understanding of how much                           additional 90,500 dwellings in
Up to 2036, we can use                         growth we might be expected                         this period.
government statistics and                      to accommodate. Having this
economic forecasts to plan with                information allows us to consider                   The results will need to be
some confidence. The results are               a wider range of options than if                    monitored and reviewed as
set out in our study of housing                we were to focus only on shorter                    Government statistics become
and economic development                       term needs.                                         available but they are considered
needs which calculates the need                                                                    to be a reasonable basis on
for both new homes and jobs.*1                 For the purposes of the Strategic                   which to proceed. If we do not
Because our Local Plans are                    Growth Plan, we have chosen                         look to this longer timescale we
being prepared to end dates of                 to work with an estimate of our                     will not be able to plan for, and
either 2031 or 2036, the study                 housing needs for whole of the                      secure funding for, the essential
sets out our need for new homes                period 2031-50.                                     infrastructure that we need.
and jobs to the same end dates.

The detail is set out in Appendix
A but, in summary, across                      TABLE A: TOTAL HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT
Leicester & Leicestershire we                  LAND NEEDS 2011-50
need some 96,580 homes
and 367-423ha of land for                       Housing                                                    Employment Land (B1/B2/B8)*3
employment use in the period
                                                2011-31                                         96,580*1                         367-423ha.*1
2011-31 (See Table A).
                                                2031-50                                         90,516*2       Not quantified at this stage

                                                Total (2011-50)                                 187,096

                                                Notes:
                                                1. As shown in Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (January 2017)
                                                2. ‘Notional’ needs calculated by projecting forward estimates set out in the Housing and
                                                Development Needs Assessment (January 2017)
                                                3. Small scale B8 only (i.e. less than 9,000 sqm); the amount of land needed for strategic
                                                distribution facilities has not been quantified because it is so heavily dependent upon property
                                                market considerations.

 5    LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH

* Reference: Leicester & Leicestershire Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (January 2017)
LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE - 2050: LLEP
WHETHER DEVELOPMENT
                                                                 TAKES PLACE BEFORE OR
                                                                 AFTER 2031, IT IS CLEAR THAT
                                                                 MORE HOMES AND JOBS WILL
                                                                 BE NEEDED. WE NEED TO
                                                                 PLAN FOR THIS NOW.

In terms of economic growth, it                Beyond, 2031, we have assumed                 ALIGNING
is very difficult to predict needs
with any accuracy beyond 2036.
                                               that neither Leicester City
                                               Council nor Oadby & Wigston
                                                                                             GROWTH,
We have decided, therefore,                    Borough Council will be able to               INFRASTRUCTURE
not to quantify the need for
additional employment land for
                                               accommodate their needs. An
                                               important aspect of the Strategic
                                                                                             AND SERVICES
this period, at this stage. Again,             Growth Plan, therefore, has been
in accordance with normal                      to consider how any unmet needs               We are very clear that significant
practice, we will monitor and                  might be shared between the                   new development cannot
review needs as necessary.                     other local authorities in Leicester          be accommodated within
                                               & Leicestershire.                             Leicester & Leicestershire
Our total requirements for the                                                               without significant investment
period 2011-50 are shown in                    We have decided that these                    in infrastructure and services.
Table A on page 5.                             additional needs will be satisfied,           We welcome government’s
                                               in part, by development in                    recognition of this problem at a
                                               strategic locations in accordance             national and regional level, and
ACCOMMODATING                                  with the strategy set out in this             the investment that is already
OUR HOUSING                                    Plan.                                         being committed to projects in
                                                                                             our area.
AND EMPLOYMENT                                 The agreed distribution will be set
NEEDS                                          out in an agreed statement. In
                                               line with the needs of our Local
                                                                                             We will continue to work with
                                                                                             government, landowners,
                                               Plans, this will cover the time               developers and other
We have analysed the amount                    periods to 2031 and 2036. The                 stakeholders to accelerate
of development that has                        statement will be used with the               development and to align this
already been built, has planning               Strategic Growth Plan as the basis            with essential infrastructure.
permission or is allocated in                  for preparing or reviewing Local
adopted or emerging local plans                Plans.
that have been published. This
demonstrates that much of our
housing and employment land is
already provided for in the period
2011-31.*

Only Leicester City Council has
declared that it will be unable
to meet its housing needs. We
are confident, however, that any
shortfall in the period 2011-31
can be met through Local Plan
allocations in other areas.

                                                                                      STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018   6

* Reference: Joint Position Statement on Housing and Employment Land Supply (March 2018)
WITHOUT ADDITIONAL
  INFRASTRUCTURE WE WILL
  BE UNABLE TO DELIVER
  LONG TERM GROWTH ON
  THIS SCALE, OR IN THE
  TIMESCALE PROPOSED.

To accelerate the speed of                       Other statutory undertakers           Through the Strategic Growth
development, we will address the                 will be able to use the Strategic     Plan we can maximise the
lack of essential infrastructure                 Growth Plan and Local Plans           benefits of this investment by
(highway capacity, schools,                      as a clear statement of the           focusing growth in areas close
healthcare facilities, etc.) We will             proposed growth in Leicester          to new infrastructure proposals.
also consider financial viability                & Leicestershire. This will allow     This does not mean to say that
which can be a problem on some                   them to identify their own            these are the only road and
sites. In others, the costs of the               investment priorities. We will        rail projects that are needed
necessary infrastructure might                   support them in their requests        to support the growth that we
need to be shared across several                 for funding, lobbying government      will have. Existing schemes
development sites.                               and supporting applications           are already in the pipeline (e.g.
                                                 for funding through the normal        improvements to the A5, the
We are working with developers,                  processes.                            A511 and Melton Mowbray Relief
landowners and statutory                                                               Road) and we are working
agencies to remove the barriers                                                        to deliver these. Additional
to development and will focus                    MAXIMISING THE                        schemes will be needed to
on this more intensively as we
move forwards. Our highway
                                                 RETURNS ON                            provide better connections to the
                                                                                       strategic network. We will also
authorities have already                         INVESTMENT                            look for ways to improve public
identified key road and rail                                                           transport, cycling and walking.
projects and are progressing                     Where infrastructure has already
these through formal approval                    been committed, we now have           In undertaking this work, we
and funding regimes. Outside                     the opportunity to maximise           recognise that, on our own, we
the City, the County Council has                 the returns on this investment        cannot deliver growth on this
summarised the key projects in                   and use it to the advantage of        scale. Government, statutory
its ‘Prospectus for Growth’.*                    our local communities. We have        agencies, landowners, developers
                                                 taken as one of the building          and local authorities all have
Together the City and the                        blocks for our Plan, proposals for    an important role to play in
County Councils, as highway                      infrastructure investment that        this process. The partnership
authorities, are collaborating on                already have a degree of support      approach that we have achieved
a Strategic Transport Plan which                 from government, executive            to date provides a secure
will identify additional projects                agencies and other organisations.     foundation on which to move
and set out short and long                       All of the strategic infrastructure   forward with other organisations.
term aspirations for sustainable                 in our Plan is acknowledged as        Without additional infrastructure
transport initiatives including                  being required to resolve national    we will be unable to deliver long
public transport inprovements,                   and regional problems.                term growth on this scale, or in
ways of reducing the use of the                                                        the timescale proposed.
private car and green transport
initiatives.

 7    LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH

* Reference: Prospectus for Growth, Leicestershire County Council, September 2017
THE BUILDING
BLOCKS FOR
OUR PLAN
Other agencies are preparing
plans and strategies which will
influence what we do. In many
cases, we have contributed
to these documents so their
contents are already aligned
with our own aspirations. At the
same time, the Strategic Growth
Plan must be firmly rooted in
the character of Leicester &
Leicestershire and must protect
our environmental, historic
and other assets. This chapter
summarises the principal building
blocks that we have used to
                                           THE EXISTING
                                           SETTLEMENT PATTERN
                                           The first building block for our
                                           Plan is the settlement pattern
                                           that we already have. Looking
                                           beyond the county boundaries,
                                           the settlement pattern can be
                                           described as a series of separate
                                           towns and cities, extending
                                           from Derby and Nottingham
                                           in the north to Coventry and
                                           Birmingham in the south-west,
                                           mostly focused around the M1 and
                                                                                           4
                                                                               Within Leicester & Leicestershire
                                                                               the settlement pattern is quite
                                                                               distinctive:

                                                                               ■ A strong ‘central’ city
                                                                                 (Leicester), located at the
                                                                                 heart of the County, with
                                                                                 suburbs extending into
                                                                                 adjoining boroughs and
                                                                                 districts. With strong office,
                                                                                 shopping, arts, culture,
prepare our Plan.                          the M69 with intervening rural        heritage and visitor profiles,
                                           areas. On either side, extensive      the City is a focus for the
                                           rural areas separate Leicester        market towns, rural areas and
FIGURE 2:                                  & Leicestershire from the West        major employment areas that
SETTLEMENT PATTERN                         Midlands and Cambridgeshire.          are linked to it.

Key:

       Settlements focused around M1/M69
       Rural Areas

                                                                                                                    © OpenStreetMap contributors | openstreetmap.org

                                                                        STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018   8
NATIONAL
■ A ring of strong,
  independent and
                                                 POLICIES                                         THE HOUSING STRATEGY
  characterful market towns
  each connected to Leicester                    The second building block of                     Government has also published
  by radial routes and with                      our Plan is an understanding                     its strategy for tackling problems
  strong physical, functional,                   of national policies. These                      in the housing market. This
  social and economic ties to                    influence what we can do,                        recognises that if more new
  the City. The market towns                     particularly in relation to our                  housing is to be built, at a
  contribute much to the                         priority areas: housing, the                     faster rate, it will have to be
  character of Leicestershire,                   economy, infrastructure and                      accompanied by investment in
  are economically buoyant                       the environment. They also set                   new infrastructure. The housing
  in their own right and are                     the government's agenda for                      strategy also recognises the
  an important focus for local                   funding so it is important that we               importance of strategic planning
  communities.                                   reflect these priorities. We want                for long term growth.
                                                 to be ready to take advantage
■ Extensive rural areas                          of opportunities that will bring                 Government has already
  encircling the City and the                    benefits to our area, yet able to                committed to new investment
  market towns, villages and                     control excessive development                    in housing, industry and
  hamlets. The landscape is                      pressures.                                       infrastructure in Leicester &
  beautiful and varied, and                                                                       Leicestershire through various
  has an economy of its own,                                                                      funding programmes, and
  from nationally significant                    THE INDUSTRIAL                                   more is promised. We want to
  agriculture and food                           STRATEGY                                         maximise the benefits of this
  production to a growing                                                                         investment, nationally, regionally
  professional services sector.                  The Government’s Industrial                      and locally.
                                                 Strategy sets out a long term
Together, this mix of urban                      plan to boost the productivity
and rural areas underpins our                    and earning power of people
quality of life. The long-standing               throughout the UK. It provides
relationship between Leicester,                  a framework for our own
the market towns and the rural                   Local Industrial Strategy* and
areas is a feature that we wish                  investment by the LLEP. The
to enhance. It is not lost on                    Strategic Growth Plan considers
us that our settlement pattern                   how existing employment areas
resembles that of the ‘social                    can be supported and where new
city’, a phrase coined by the                    growth should be directed.
garden cities movement of the
early 20th Century to describe a
cluster of new garden cities in the
countryside. The garden cities
movement sought to deliver the
perfect partnership between town
and country.

 9    LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH

* Local Industrial Strategies are prepared by economic partnerships when invited by government.
The Leicester & Leicestershire Economic Partnership has already been invited to do so.
WE CONSIDER THAT OUR
                                                      STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN
                                                      RESPONDS VERY POSITIVELY
                                                      TO THE GOVERNMENT’S
                                                      PRIORITIES FOR INVESTMENT
                                                      AND NEW PLANNING POLICY

THE NATIONAL
PLANNING POLICY
FRAMEWORK
The National Planning Policy          We have used the standard               Although the National Planning
Framework has recently been           methodology to calculate                Policy Framework states the
revised. The emphasis of the          housing needs so that we can            government’s preference for
new document is very much             compare the results with our            statutory plans, this has come at
on strategic priorities, housing      own study. We have found that,          a late stage in the preparation of
delivery and joint working. It        across Leicester & Leicestershire       our Plan. We consider that the
includes a number of significant      as a whole, the scale of need is        current Plan fulfils many of the
changes:                              very similar, although there are        government’s requirements. We
                                      variations at the local level.          also have a need for an agreed
■ the re-introduction of                                                      strategy to set a framework for
  strategic planning                  In terms of a Statement of              our Local Plans and investment
                                      Common Ground, our Strategic            priorities. For these reasons, we
■ the use of a ‘standard              Growth Plan already fulfils much        have decided to complete our
  methodology’ for calculating        of what is required: it is a clear      work on the Plan but we will, of
  housing need, and                   statement of acknowledged               course, consider the need for a
                                      issues, it identifies our priorities    statutory plan in line with the
■ the requirement to prepare          and it sets out an agreed               requirements of national planning
  a ‘Statement of Common              strategy for our Local Plans. It        policy as we move forwards.
  Ground’.                            provides a good foundation for
                                      future work on our Statement of
In terms of strategic planning,       Common Ground.
authorities must now, as a
minimum, ensure that there
is a plan which addresses the
priorities for an appropriate
geographical area. It is
acknowledged that in many
cases, this will highlight the need
for collaborative working on a
joint plan.

                                                                       STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018   10
OUR ECONOMY AND THE
MIDLANDS ENGINE STRATEGY
The third building block of our          The Midlands Engine Strategy
Plan is an understanding of              also recognises the growth
the local economy and how it             potential of major employment
is supported by the Midlands             areas such as East Midlands
Engine Strategy. The economy             Airport, East Midlands Gateway,
in Leicester & Leicestershire is         the two enterprise zones – MIRA
recovering strongly from the last        Technology Park near Hinckley
recession but there is still much        and the Loughborough &
to be done. Productivity and             Leicester Enterprise Zone – the
wages remain below the national          logistics and distribution industry
average but we have many                 and the potential of Leicester
important growth sectors and             City Centre. Since the strategy
key employment locations.                was published government
                                         funding has been put in place for
The Midlands Engine Strategy             key projects.
has been prepared by
Government and sets out a
collective ambition for economic
growth and prosperity. It aligns
with the national industrial
strategy and highlights how the             THE MIDLANDS ENGINE
region can build upon existing
business sectors and areas of
                                            STRATEGY HAS BEEN
opportunity. It highlights many             PREPARED BY GOVERNMENT
of our key industries, universities
and employment areas as places
                                            AND SETS OUT A COLLECTIVE
of national, and even global,               AMBITION FOR ECONOMIC
significance.
                                            GROWTH AND PROSPERITY

 11   LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH
FIGURE 3:
ECONOMIC GROWTH AREAS*
Key:
                                                    13.   Leicester University
                                                                                                                                         © OpenStreetMap contributors | openstreetmap.org

1.     Toton Station (High Speed 2)
2.     East Midlands Gateway (Strategic Rail        14.   De Montfort University
       Freight Interchange)                         15.   Global Space Technologies Hub
3.     East Midlands Airport                        16. 		 Space Research Centre & Earth
4.     Engineering Skills Training Centre at MIRA          Observation Centre

5.     MIRA Enterprise Zone                         17.   IBM Client Innovation Centre

6.     Centre for Connected Autonomous Vehicles     18.   Agri-Food and Drink Processing

7.     Birmingham International Airport             19.   Loughborough & Leicester Enterprise
                                                          Zone
8.     Arden Cross Station (High Speed 2)
                                                    20. Loughborough University
9.     Magna Park Distribution Centre
                                                    21.   Life Sciences Opportunity Zone
10.    Agri-Food and Drink Processing
11.    Fosse Park Retail Centre
12.    City Centre and Strategic Regeneration
       Area in Leicester
                                                                                                STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018   12

*Places and activities highlighted in the Midlands Engine Strategy (2017)
INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE
MIDLANDS CONNECT STRATEGY
The fourth building block of            Whilst the electrification of       Similarly, the railway lines from
our Plan is an understanding            the Midland Main Line north         Leicester to Melton Mowbray
of the local road and rail              of Kettering will not now           and from Melton Mowbray to
networks and how they are               proceed as originally planned,      Nottingham/Newark do not
supported by proposals in the           we will continue to press for       feature in the Midlands Connect
Midlands Connect Strategy. A            improvements to the track,          Strategy. Improvement of
particular feature of the road          stations and services to support    these lines would also improve
and rail network in Leicester &         our local economy and housing       connectivity and provide
Leicestershire is its emphasis on       growth.                             additional public transport
north-south movement and the                                                options to support growth.
difficulty of east-west movement.       The improvement of the              At present, however, the cost
All routes, however, are heavily        Leicester-Burton Railway Line       of improved lines and services
congested and few have the              does not form part of the           requires further investigation
capacity to support growth              Midlands Connect Strategy.          to establish the economic
beyond 2031.                            Currently, the cost of improving    case and availability of
                                        the track for passenger use, re-    funding solutions.
The Midlands Connect Strategy           instating stations and operating
has been prepared jointly by the        services on this line far exceeds
Midlands Connect Partnership            available funding and the
and government agencies. It             likely income. If viable funding
supports the Midlands Engine            solutions were to emerge,
Strategy and sets out a series of       however, supported by new
long term transport investment          development in the vicinity of
priorities to help unlock jobs and      the line such that it could be
growth. It proposes a rolling           re-opened for passenger use,
25-year programme of strategic          the matter could be reviewed
road and rail improvements              in future.
around a series of economic hubs
and intensive growth corridors.

The Strategy endorses a number
of key rail projects in Leicester &                           THE MIDLANDS CONNECT
Leicestershire including improved                             STRATEGY HAS BEEN
rail services between Leicester,
Coventry and Birmingham. Key                                  PREPARED JOINTLY BY
road projects include improving                               THE MIDLANDS CONNECT
the A5, M42/A42 and A46 to
expressway standard, including a                              PARTNERSHIP AND
new road to the south and east                                GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
of Leicester linking into strategic
highways to the west.

13   LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH
FIGURE 4:
ROAD AND RAIL
IMPROVEMENTS
                                                                                                                              © OpenStreetMap contributors | openstreetmap.org

(referenced in the Midlands Connect Strategy
and shown diagrammatically)

Key:

       ROAD IMPROVEMENTS                           RAIL IMPROVEMENTS
       1.   Smart Motorway M1 J19-23a              A.   Midland Main Line Upgrade
       2.   M1 J23/A512 improvements                    and Electrification
       3.   A46 Expressway (route to be defined)   B.   Leicester-Coventry Upgrade
       4.   A5 Expressway                          C.   Leicester-Birmingham Upgrade
       5.   M42/A42 Expressway                     D.   High Speed 2

                                                                                     STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018   14
Based upon O.S. mapping with the permission of the
Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction
infringes copyright and may lead to prosecution.
Leicester City Council Licence LA 100019264 (2018)

© OpenStreetMap contributors | openstreetmap.org

15    LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH
PROTECTING OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL,
HISTORIC AND
OTHER ASSETS
The fifth building block in the        In a strategic document such as
Plan is a recognition of the assets    this, it is impossible to convey
that are most important to us.         the range of assets that we
We have identified key features        have. This information has been
and designations to help us make       assembled, however, and is
decisions about areas that need        available on our website. Further
to be protected (See Fig 5). We        detailed information is held by
have few national or international     each of the local authorities and
constraints but there are key          will be used to make decisions
features that are important            about potential development
to Leicester & Leicestershire,         sites. Balancing the need for
not least the National Forest,         growth with protection of
Charnwood Forest, Bosworth             our assets has been a critical
Battlefield, areas separating          consideration.
urban areas (our ‘green
wedges’), valuable landscape           Difficult decisions have had
and townscape, local nature            to be made but we know,
conservation designations, civic       from previous experience,
heritage, conservation areas, etc.     that unplanned growth can
Many other places are important        bring even more unacceptable
locally and these too need to be       consequences. We will continue
protected.                             to gather evidence about our
                                       assets and how they can be
                                       protected as we continue our
FIGURE 5: ASSETS                       work on Local Plans.
Key:

AGRICULTURAL LAND GRADES:
       Grade 1                                 Scheduled Monument

       Grade 2                                 River Mease Catchment Area

       Grade 3                                 River Mease SAC
                                               Conservation Areas

NATIONAL FLOOD ZONES:                          National Nature Reserve
       Level 3                                 Geology
       Level 2                                 LNRs and Wildlife Sites
                                               Sites of Special Scientific Interest
       National / Charnwood Forest
                                               Archaeological Alert
       Battlefield
                                               HS2
       Parks and Gardens
       Ancient Woodland
       Green Wedge

                                STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018       16
OUR OVERALL
APPROACH
            5
We acknowledge that Leicester
& Leicestershire will grow. Our
population is increasing and
we need more homes. We
have clusters of businesses,
universities and research
institutions that operate on a
world stage. There is a national
and regional imperative to
                                        OUR PRIORITIES
                                        During the course of our work
                                        we have identified four priorities.
                                        They are:

                                        ■ creating conditions for
                                          investment and growth -
                                          balancing the need for
                                          new housing and jobs with
                                          protection of our environment
                                                                              INVESTMENT AND
                                                                              GROWTH
                                                                              Analysis of population and
                                                                              household statistics tells us
                                                                              that Leicester & Leicestershire
                                                                              will continue to grow whether
                                                                              we plan for this or not. New
                                                                              jobs continue to be created
                                                                              particularly in Leicester city
                                                                              centre, in the northern part of the
provide more homes and jobs.              and built heritage.                 county and around the market
                                                                              towns.
But we also know that too much          ■ achieving a step change
growth in particular locations,           in the way that growth is           More new jobs are expected in
and insensitive development,              delivered – focusing more           the LLEP’s priority sectors of life
is having an adverse impact on            development in strategic            sciences (medical technologies);
our local communities and on              locations and less on non-          advanced manufacturing and
our environment. The lack of              strategic sites.                    engineering; advanced logistics;
essential infrastructure is also                                              space and digital technologies;
slowing the pace of delivery.           ■ securing essential                  and textiles. These reflect the
                                          infrastructure that is needed       priorities of the Midlands Engine
The Strategic Growth Plan is              to make this happen – taking        Strategy and the growth of the
our proposal for balancing                advantage of proposals to           national economy.
these competing interests. By             improve national and regional
providing a long term strategy            networks (as set out in the         More locally, individual authorities
and a framework for our Local             Midlands Connect Strategy)          are focusing on tourism, leisure,
Plans, the Strategic Growth               and maximising the benefits         health and wellbeing and
Plan gives us the opportunity to          from them.                          supporting the rural economy.
identify strategic development                                                The Strategic Growth Plan
locations and the infrastructure        ■ maintaining the essential           provides a spatial framework
that is essential to their delivery.      qualities of Leicester &            within which this investment and
                                          Leicestershire and delivering       growth can occur.
                                          high quality development.

                                        This sets an agenda for growth
                                        which is based on achieving
                                        a better relationship between
     THIS IS OUR                        homes, jobs and infrastructure,
     OPPORTUNITY                        increasing the speed of delivery
                                        and ensuring that development
     FOR CHANGE                         does not damage the special
                                        places that we cherish.

17   LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH                    *llstrategicgrowthplan.org.uk
OUR VISION*
                             Our vision is that:

                             “By 2050, Leicester & Leicestershire will have
                             established itself as a driver of the UK economy,
                             exploiting opportunities for linkages across its
                             diverse economic base, supporting its urban
                             and rural centres, and taking advantage of its
                             exceptional location. Growth will contribute
                             to people’s health, happiness and well-being
                             through the timely delivery of well-designed and
                             high quality development, raising the bar in terms
                             of environmental standards, quality of life and
                             local distinctiveness.”
                                                                              * Reference: Strategic Growth Statement (2016)

SHIFTING THE
FOCUS OF
DEVELOPMENT
To date, the majority of                Sometimes those who want                We are working with developers
new housing in Leicester &              to live in good quality homes           and Homes England to increase
Leicestershire has been built           close to their place of work            the speed at which development
on small and medium-sized               find that there is little available     sites come forward and are built
sites in the City, market towns,        within their price range. Several       out. We will continue to seek
villages and rural areas. Some          major employers and clusters            funding for essential infrastructure
of this development has                 of economic opportunities are           to support development.
been unplanned. Often these             located towards the edge of
developments make little or no          the County. Not all are close           Our analysis has demonstrated
contribution to infrastructure          to housing so a great deal of           that, through our existing and
or services and, instead, rely on       commuting takes place. This is          emerging Local Plans, and
existing facilities. This has created   a problem not least for those           planning permissions, we can
significant problems. Some              who do not have a car – public          make provision for the amount of
communities feel overwhelmed            transport is often limited.             new homes and jobs we need in
by the speed and scale of change.                                               the period up to 2031. This will
Others are disadvantaged by             Our strategy proposes to build          be achieved through a mixture
pressures on local schools, health      more development in major               of major strategic sites already
centres and recreation facilities.      strategic locations and to reduce       identified in Local Plans (about
Congestion on local roads and           the amount that takes place in          40%) and smaller scale growth on
public transport is a frequent          existing towns, villages and rural      non-strategic sites (about 60%).
cause of complaint.                     areas. This will allow us to plan
                                        for new housing and employment
                                        together with new and improved
                                        roads, public transport, schools,
                                        health services, local shops and
                                        open space.
                                                                         STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018          18
SECURING
ESSENTIAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
Delivering sustainable growth,          In terms of road and rail            In terms of private sector
before and after 2031, needs            improvements, the Midlands           projects, we recognise that the
new infrastructure, not only road       Connect Strategy lays the            lack of funding, or the ability
and rail improvements but also          foundations for longer term,         to secure finance, and a range
schools, healthcare facilities,         strategic investment. Analysis       of other factors have caused
venues for sports and leisure,          has shown that by investing          delay. We need to resolve these
open space, community halls,            in road and rail schemes in          problems if we are to create
etc. Through our work on Local          Leicester & Leicestershire,          high quality developments with
Plans we have already identified        congestion can be reduced on         a sense of place and everything
the road and rail improvements          other parts of the regional and      that they need to create real
that are needed to support              national network. The strategy,      communities. Growth after 2031
growth in housing and jobs up           therefore, proposes major            is also very much dependent
to 2031. Statutory agencies also        improvements to road and rail        upon earlier infrastructure being
have the information that they          facilities throughout the area.      put in place.
need to organise their investment
priorities. The problem has been        We have considered how these         We will work collaboratively with
aligning this provision across a        road and rail improvements could     the private sector and others
number of delivery agencies.            support strategic development        to remove any barriers which
Solving this problem will lie at        in Leicester & Leicestershire. We    exist. The Strategic Growth Plan,
the heart of delivering growth in       have concluded that there are        together with Local Plans, the
the early stages of our plan.           major opportunities for strategic    Local Industrial Strategy and
                                        development in locations that        the Strategic Transport Plan
Beyond 2031, the scale of               relate well to areas of housing      will demonstrate that we are
infrastructure and service              need and economic opportunity.       speaking with one voice and are
provision is such that significant      It makes great practical and         committed to an agreed strategy.
investment by government will           financial sense to maximise the
be needed. Our strategy makes           benefits that are offered by these
provision for more of our growth        schemes.
to be provided in strategic
locations. To do this, we need to:      We recognise that, if high quality
                                        sustainable development is to
■ deliver the infrastructure and        be achieved, these schemes will
  services that have already            need to be supported by public
  been identified in Local Plans        sector investment in local road
  and planning applications;            and rail improvements, and in
  and                                   public transport. The City and
                                        County Councils, as highway
■ secure public sector                  authorities, are already starting
  funding for new strategic             to identify what will be needed
  infrastructure which will open        but decisions cannot be finalised
  up sites for development.             until specific development
                                        sites have been identified in
                                        Local Plans. The Strategic
                                        Transport Plan will provide
                                        more information on what these
                                        improvements are and how they
                                        will be delivered.

19   LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH
DELIVERING
HIGH QUALITY
DEVELOPMENT
We have decided that our             We also propose to seek high           The Garden City concept
common agenda will be                quality environments, with a           allows us to plan for new
delivering 21st century garden       strong community focus and             development which captures
towns, villages and suburbs          economic justification, and we         the very best of town and
within our strategic growth areas.   consider that new strategic            country. It would ensure that
This reflects the settlement         development should be delivered        new development is planned
pattern of the City and County,      to a common agenda.                    with strong social, economic
and establishes a framework for                                             and environmental foundations,
protecting the valuable assets       For this we have looked to our         and that communities are
that we have. It also allows us      distinctive settlement pattern         placed at the heart of planning.
to develop a strong agenda           - Leicester as a thriving central      This is the common agenda to
around social, economic and          city surrounded by strong,             which we will work as we bring
environmental priorities.            independent and characterful           forward, through our Local
                                     market towns, and extensive            Plans, the major development
The scale of opportunity in          rural areas. We are keen to            opportunities in the Plan.
Leicester & Leicestershire assists   reflect our heritage of garden
these choices. Our strategy          suburbs and government
focuses development along            support for new garden towns,
transportation corridors and         villages and suburbs.
close to important employment
centres. At a local level,
                                     FIGURE 6:
we could expand existing
settlements or create new ones.
                                     THE SOCIAL CITY CONCEPT OF
We could plan for some new           THE GARDEN CITY MOVEMENT
development in existing urban
areas. Indeed, given the scale
of opportunity, several of these
options could be delivered in
combination. The decisions will
be made in our Local Plans but
the intention is that individual
decisions will be made in line
with this strategy.
                                                                                             Credit: Town And Country Planning Association

                                                                     STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018                                   20
6
OUR SPATIAL
STRATEGY

Our spatial strategy
acknowledges the scale of
growth that is already in the
pipeline as a result of Local Plans
and planning permissions. It also
builds upon known road and
rail infrastructure opportunities
or commitments. In delivering
the strategy we will enhance
the role of Leicester at the heart
                                        LEICESTER: OUR
                                        ‘CENTRAL CITY’
                                        Leicester has a pivotal role to
                                        play in the strategy. We propose
                                        that it should develop its role as
                                        the ‘central city’ supporting the
                                        market towns and rural areas
                                        around it. More jobs, leisure,
                                        arts, culture and entertainment
                                        facilities would be provided
                                        within the City Centre. The
                                        strategic regeneration area along
                                                                             The population of the urban area,
                                                                             in and around Leicester City, is
                                                                             about 650,000 and increasing
                                                                             rapidly. We are working
                                                                             collaboratively to accommodate
                                                                             all of the homes that the City
                                                                             needs in places that are well-
                                                                             connected to it.

                                                                             Given the scale of housing
of the county and maintain the          the Waterside will develop as a      need and the potential for
close relationships between             mixed use area, extending the        new jobs, the City needs to
the City, the market towns and          economic opportunities available     grow. This needs to be done in
rural areas. In doing so, we will       within the centre of the City, but   such a way that we can make
prepare Local Plans in line with        balancing new jobs with the need     full use of existing services
this spatial strategy to ensure         for new homes.                       and infrastructure within the
that growth is delivered in a way                                            City. Also, by providing more
which responds positively to our                                             homes close to jobs in the City
aspirations.                                                                 Centre and other employment
                                                                             centres, we will be able to
                                                                             relieve development pressures in
                                                                             other parts of the surrounding
                                                                             authorities.

                                                                             Given the scale of development
                                                                             on the fringes of Leicester,
                                                                             any growth would need to be
                                                                             accompanied by measures
                                                                             to increase capacity on the
                                                                             radial roads and improve public
                                                                             transport, cycling and walking.
     WE WILL ENHANCE THE
     ROLE OF LEICESTER AND
     MAINTAIN THE CLOSE
     RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN
     THE CITY, THE MARKET
     TOWNS AND RURAL AREAS

21   LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH
FIGURE 6:
STRATEGY PLAN
                                                                                                                      © OpenStreetMap contributors | openstreetmap.org

Key:

                                              ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE:
                                              (shown diagrammatically)
       Leicester: Our Central City            M1 Smart Motorway
       A46 Priority Growth Corridor           A46 Expressway (route to be defined)
       Leicestershire International Gateway   A5 Expressway
       A5 Improvement Corridor                M42/A42 Expressway
       Melton Mowbray: Key Centre for         Rail improvements
       Regeneration and Growth
                                              HS2
       Managed Growth in Local Plans
       Growth to support local needs only

                                                                         STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018   22
THE A46 PRIORITY
GROWTH
CORRIDOR
The ‘expressway’ proposal for the       Improvements to the railway lines    The Midlands Connect Strategy
A46 is critical to our strategy. It     and services between Leicester,      proposes that the A46 and A5
not only provides an alternative        Coventry and Birmingham are          expressways will be built by the
route to the M1 but also creates        also proposed.                       early 2030s. Increased capacity
the opportunity for significant                                              on the railways is proposed within
development to the south and            The combination of new and           the same timeframe. As planning
east of the City. The expressway        improved roads and railways in       progresses on these road and rail
proposal is included in the             this area creates the opportunity    projects, and Local Plans make
Midlands Connect Strategy and           for major development along a        provision for future development,
proposes a new road extending           corridor extending around the        the Plan proposes that we should
from a new or improved junction         southern and eastern fringes of      start to shift the balance of new
on the M69, and continuing to           Leicester. The proposed new          growth, away from small and
the south and east of Leicester,        road is of national and regional     medium-sized sites, towards
with a new junction on the M1           significance but it also provides    major strategic locations within
(J20a). The new road will re-join       the opportunity for strategic        this corridor.
the existing A46 to the north-          development in Leicester &
east of the City. The precise           Leicestershire. We estimate that
route of the new road will have         this corridor has the potential to
significant implications for            accommodate about 38,000 new
encouraging growth in Leicester         homes and additional new jobs.
and Leicestershire and will be the
subject of consultation at various
stages in its routing and design.

                                                              WE ESTIMATE THAT
                                                              THIS CORRIDOR HAS
                                                              THE POTENTIAL TO
                                                              ACCOMMODATE ABOUT
                                                              38,000 NEW HOMES AND
                                                              ADDITIONAL NEW JOBS

23   LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH
MELTON
THE                                                                                                   MOWBRAY:
LEICESTERSHIRE                                     THE A5                                             KEY CENTRE FOR
INTERNATIONAL                                      IMPROVEMENT                                        REGENERATION
GATEWAY                                            CORRIDOR                                           AND GROWTH
The Leicestershire International                   The A5 provides a long distance                    Melton Mowbray sits at the
Gateway is focused around the                      strategic route running from the                   centre of a largely agricultural
northern parts of the A42 and                      south-east to the north-west.                      area in the north east of the
the M1, where there are major                      The route acts as an alternative                   county. Somewhat distant
employment opportunities                           to the M6 motorway between                         from other centres, strategic
notably East Midlands Airport,                     J12 and the M1 but suffers from                    road and rail routes, the town
East Midlands Gateway (strategic                   increasing congestion and lack                     functions as a rural hub for the
rail freight terminal) and HS2                     of capacity to serve as a relief                   surrounding villages and rural
station at Toton nearby. The                       route when there are problems                      communities, the focus of social
authorities have already made                      on the M6. Also, it is expected                    and economic activity, enhanced
provision for strategic new                        to experience increased traffic                    by a characterful and distinctive
housing developments in Ashby,                     growth in the future from                          landscape. Recently economic
Coalville, and Loughborough and                    advanced manufacturing and                         growth has been constrained by
these need to be completed as a                    logistics developments such                        lack of sites and poor connectivity
matter of priority to provide the                  as the MIRA Enterprise Zone &                      but there is evidence that local
opportunity for people to live                     Technology Park, phase three of                    firms are looking to expand and
close to their places of work. At                  DIRFT near Daventry and Magna                      new businesses wish to move in.
the same time, some parts of the                   Park in Lutterworth.
area (e.g. the centres of Coalville                                                                   The town centre is congested
and Shepshed) are in need of                       Improvement of the A5 corridor                     and in need of regeneration but
regeneration and the physical                      is essential to reduce congestion                  has a great deal of potential.
fabric needs to be improved. In                    in the area, to deliver already                    Investment in the public realm
our Local Plans we intend to                       planned housing growth and                         – the buildings, public spaces,
explore the theme of ‘forest                       to support delivery of major                       streets – would do much to
towns’ suggested in the National                   industrial sites which already                     restore confidence in the town
Forest Strategy. This could be                     have Local Plan allocations                        and support its potential as
a way of enhancing the physical                    and/or planning permission.                        centre for tourism and leisure in
fabric of the towns and villages                   Managing the delivery of                           one of the most attractive parts
in this area and making the most                   consented/allocated sites in and                   of the county.
of our environmental assets. It                    around Hinckley will be achieved
would also support investment in                   through Local Plans.                               The recent approval for the Melton
tourism and leisure facilities and                                                                    Mowbray Relief Road provides the
health and wellbeing agenda.                       There are long-standing                            catalyst for change: it will remove
                                                   proposals, promoted by the A5                      congestion in the town centre and
Loughborough, with a world                         Partnership, to improve the A5                     open up land for development
class university, has also made                    from Dodwells to Longshoot,                        to the north and east of the
provision for a science and                        widening to dual-carriageway                       town. Similar investment in
enterprise park and this needs to                  a short section of the A5 near                     highways to the south of the
be delivered in conjunction with                   Hinckley, which carries the traffic                town could increase this further.
improved access from J23 on the                    of both the A5 and the A47.                        New growth will support town
M1, now funded.                                    The A5 Partnership proposals                       centre shops and services and
                                                   also call for improvements to                      provide the opportunity for
Overall, we estimate that                          upgrade the A5 between the                         people to live close to where they
the area has the potential to                      A38 and the M1 to ‘expressway’                     work. The new A46 expressway
accommodate about 11,000                           standard. This is supported by                     and improved connections to it,
new homes. Improvements to                         the Midlands Connect Strategy                      will also improve connectivity
the A42, the M1, railway lines                     and will provide much needed                       to Leicester, the M1 and the
and services – all set out in the                  relief to local roads, and provide                 Leicestershire International
Midlands Connect Strategy –                        an efficient alternative route to                  Gateway.
support this opportunity.                          the M6, between J12 and the M1.
                                                                                            STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018             24
* Reference: The Department for Transport’s Road Investment Strategy (2015/16-2019/20) includes proposals to upgrade the A5.
The A5 Partnership is made up of 18 local councils supported by other public agencies along a 70 mile stretch from Gailey in Staffordshire,
to Weedon in Northamptonshire (via Leicestershire and Warwickshire). It is supported by Highways England, four Local Enterprise
Partnerships (LEPs), Midlands Connect, East Midlands Councils and the Homes and Communities Agency.
AREAS OF
MANAGED                                       OUR VILLAGES
GROWTH IN LOCAL                               AND RURAL                                        NOTIONAL CAPACITY
PLANS                                         AREAS                                            (EMPLOYMENT LAND)
Coalville, Hinckley, Loughborough,            In recent years, our villages and                Our study of housing and
Lutterworth and Market                        rural areas have been under                      economic development needs*
Harborough vary in size, location             intense pressure for growth. The                 indicates the amounts of
and economic base but all                     strategy proposes that, in future,               employment land that will be
contribute significantly to the               there will be limited growth in                  required in the periods 2011-31
local economy. All are already                these areas, consistent with                     and 2011-36 (see Appendix A).
under intense pressure for                    providing for local needs.                       We are confident that, for these
development and have made                                                                      periods, provision will be made
substantial provision within and                                                               in existing and emerging Local
on the edges of the existing                  NOTIONAL CAPACITY                                Plans.
towns. Much of this has still                 (DWELLINGS)
to be built and is dependent                                                                   Longer term requirements are
upon new local infrastructure.                We have estimated the notional                   not quantified. The need for
Further sustainable development               capacity of our strategic growth                 employment land is subject to
should be consistent with the                 areas to accommodate new                         considerably greater market
need to support local growth. In              homes and this is shown in Table                 variability than the need for new
particular, there are aspirations             B below. In Appendix B we                        homes.
for continued town centre                     indicate how this growth would
regeneration and better services.             be distributed across the eight                  It is, therefore, unrealistic to
                                              local authorities in Leicester &                 anticipate what these might be so
                                              Leicestershire.                                  far ahead. In principle, however,
                                                                                               it is considered that the spatial
TABLE B: NOTIONAL                                                                              distribution of new employment
CAPACITY OF                                                                                    will need to reflect the overall
STRATEGIC GROWTH                                                                               strategy of the Plan, enable
AREAS (DWELLINGS)                                                                              homes and jobs to be located
                                                                                               in close proximity, and take
                                                                                               advantage of opportunities for
Growth area                                   Notional capacity (dwellings)
                                                                                               commuting by public transport.
A46 Priority Growth Corridor                  38,000                                           The need for new employment
The Leicestershire International Gateway      11,200
                                                                                               land will be monitored and
                                                                                               reviewed on a regular basis
Melton Mowbray: Key Centre for                3,800                                            through the preparation and
Regeneration and Growth
                                                                                               adoption of Local Plans.
Total                                         53,000

25   LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH

     * Reference: Leicester & Leicestershire Economic Development Needs Assessment (January 2017)
OUR COMMITMENT
TO DELIVERY
A PARTNERSHIP                                                              DIGITAL
APPROACH                                                                   CONNECTIVITY
Our analysis demonstrates that        We propose, therefore, to            Digital connectivity is a
Leicester & Leicestershire has the    proceed on the basis of a            significant issue in parts of
potential to deliver development      non-statutory plan and we            Leicester & Leicestershire, both
which is of national and regional     will reinforce its provisions as     rural and urban. High quality
significance. The fact that the       necessary to give confidence         communications support
Strategic Growth Plan has been        that we are committed to             remote working and provide
prepared by the ten partner           delivery. We will implement the      access to on-line services. They
organisations responsible for         Strategic Growth Plan through        are an essential part of the
planning, transport and economic      our statutory Local Plans,           infrastructure planning process
development demonstrates              supplemented by additional           and need to be funded as such.
the extent of the collaborative       documents as necessary.
work that is taking place. Three
strategic documents are being         Should circumstances change in       OUR OFFER TO
prepared in parallel: the Strategic
Growth Plan, the Strategic
                                      future, we can update housing
                                      need and supply through
                                                                           GOVERNMENT
Transport Plan and the Local          Statements of Common Ground          Our offer to government, in return
Industrial Strategy. Together         and/or a review of the Strategic     for investment in infrastructure, is
with Local Plans, these key           Growth Plan.                         to maximise the benefits that can
documents will demonstrate our                                             be achieved from commitments
commitment to future growth                                                that are already made in the
and infrastructure investment.        ALIGNING                             Midlands Engine and Midlands
                                      INFRASTRUCTURE                       Connect strategies. We are
                                                                           confident that we can deliver
STATUTORY VS                          AND GROWTH                           genuinely high quality new
NON-STATUTORY                         It is clear, however, that we will
                                                                           homes and jobs, in successful
                                                                           communities at a faster pace than
PLANS                                 need support from government         has been achieved to date. New
                                      if we are to achieve the step        infrastructure will enable this to
The changes to the National           change in the amount and speed       happen.
Planning Policy Framework             of housing and economic growth
state a preference for statutory      that we propose. We started our      Given that our growth in the
plans, make recommendations           work with a shared commitment        period 2011-31 can be provided on
on a standard methodology for         to deliver the homes and jobs        existing sites or in Local Plans, we
calculating housing need, and         that Leicestershire needs over       have time to align infrastructure
set out the requirements for a        the period 2011-50 and our           and new growth. We propose
‘Statement of Common Ground’.         strategy is set out in this Plan.    to work with government and
The work on our three strategic       We wish to take full advantage       its executive agencies to put
documents, however, has               of the opportunities that are        this into effect. We will also
reached an advanced stage. To         presented by the Midlands            work with local communities
pause and re-work the Strategic       Engine and Midlands Connect          and government departments
Growth Plan in a different            strategies. Our proposals,           to ensure that new development
format would cause significant        therefore, maximise the              brings with it the local services
delay at a time when there are        benefits that are delivered by       that are needed. For our part,
significant issues to resolve and     the infrastructure investment        through our Local Plans, we will
opportunities to grasp.               proposed in these documents.         deliver the growth that is set
                                      We value the government’s            out in this Plan, ensuring that
                                      stated commitment to the region.     new development is built to the
                                                                           highest possible standards.

                                                                    STRATEGIC GROWTH PLAN: SEPTEMBER 2018   26
APP
APPENDIX A
HOUSING NEEDS
2011-31 AND 2011-36
We have undertaken a study of
our housing and employment
economic development needs
for the periods 2011-31 and 2011-
36 to align with the different
time periods for which Local
Plans are being prepared. The
results of this analysis are set
out in Tables 1 and 2 and further
                                             We have undertaken an analysis
                                             of completions, planning
                                             permissions and allocations in
                                             adopted and emerging Local
                                             Plans. We have concluded that
                                             sufficient provision has been,
                                             or will be, made in adopted
                                             or emerging Local Plans to
                                             accommodate the OAN for
                                                                                        Beyond 2031, provision will
                                                                                        be made in Local Plans in
                                                                                        accordance with the framework
                                                                                        set out in this Plan.

detail can be found in the study.            housing, across the HMA as a
Leicester City Council has                   whole, for the period 2011-31.
formally declared that it will be            The unmet need arising in the
unable to meet its ‘objectively              administrative areas of Leicester
assessed needs’ (OAN) for                    City Council will, therefore, be
housing for the period 2011-                 accommodated in the remaining
31. Oadby & Wigston Borough                  borough and district councils
Council has declared that,                   and this will be reflected in Local
subject to further investigation             Plans as they progress, supported
of highway matters, it might                 by an agreed statement or
be unable to meet its needs for              Statement of Common Ground as
the period 2031-36. Planning                 appropriate.
guidance requires the OAN to
be satisfied across the ‘housing
market area’ (HMA) as a whole.

TABLE 1: HOUSING NEED 2011-31                                   TABLE 2: HOUSING NEED 2011-36
Authority                   Housing Need1                        Authority                       Housing Need1
                            Number of          Total number                                      Number of             Total
                            dwellings per      of dwellings                                      dwellings per         number of
                            annum                                                                annum                 dwellings
Blaby DC                              370            7,400       Blaby DC                                      361          9,025

Charnwood BC                         1,031          20,620       Charnwood BC                                  994         24,850

Harborough DC                         532            10,640      Harborough DC                                 514         12,850

Hinckley & Bosworth BC                 471           9,420       Hinckley & Bosworth BC                        454          11,350

Leicester City Council               1,692          33,840       Leicester City Council                      1,668         41,700

Melton BC                             186             3,720      Melton BC                                     170          4,250

North West Leicestershire             481            9,620       North West Leicestershire                     448          11,200
DC                                                               DC
Oadby & Wigston BC                    148            2,960       Oadby & Wigston BC                            155          3,875

Total (Leicester &                 4,829 2
                                                    96,5802
                                                                 Total (Leicester &                          4,7162
                                                                                                                         117,9002
Leicestershire)                                                  Leicestershire)

                                                                Notes:
                                                            1. Source: Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment, GL
27   LEICESTER & LEICESTERSHIRE 2050: OUR VISION FOR GROWTH Hearn, January 2017
                                                                2. The totals do not match the sum of the parts due to the way in which
                                                                additional provision to support economic growth in Melton BC and North
                                                                West Leicestershire DC is taken into account.
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