Council seeks developer to build 525 new homes

Leicester City Council Ashton Green development, near Beaumont Leys, in Leicester. A row of detached houses are located just off the right-hand side of the road.Leicester City Council
A few hundred homes of the Ashton Green development have already been built

A developer is being sought to build hundreds of new homes as part of a council-led 3,000-home development in Leicester.

Leicester City Council is the principal landowner and promoter of the 320-acre greenfield site at Ashton Green, near Beaumont Leys.

The authority said the "ambitious housing-led mixed use development scheme" was in the fourth phase to build up to 525 new homes on 55-acres of land.

The successful applicant would start construction work by late 2026, the council added.

The first phase of the Ashton Green development, on a site equivalent to about 181 football pitches, saw 100 houses built by Morris Homes in 2020, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A second phase of 307 homes is currently being built by Tilia Homes, with 130 complete and occupied.

The city council said the third phase is expected to get under way next year and would see 440 new dwellings built by Morris Homes.

'Urgent need'

About 13 acres of land allocated for the huge development is owned by the Diocese of Leicester.

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said there was a "growing and urgent need" for new homes in the city over the next 10 to 15 years.

"This is an extremely ambitious and complex project and I am proud that we are now ready to enter a next phase of development," he said.

"This would help bring the total number of new homes built or in the process of being built at Ashton Green close to 1,400."

The city council said the urban development scheme aims to create a community of up to 3,000 new homes, along with community and health facilities, employment land and retail.

The authority added up to 30% of the new homes to be built at Ashton Green would be affordable homes for rent and for shared ownership.

The closing date for submission of bids is 13 December.

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