Leicester Stocking Farm: Demolition plan given go-ahead

Plans to flatten part of an estate in Leicester have been given the go-ahead to make way for new homes.

Leicester City Council has approved its own plans to demolish buildings across the Stocking Farm estate, including the community hall, Best One store and the Health Living Centre.

The work will make space for 50 homes which will range from one and two-bed flats to two to four-bed houses.

A new road and community spaces will also be built as part of the plans.

The authority has been working on the scheme to breathe fresh life into the 3.34 acre site since January 2021, when Sir Peter Soulsby, mayor of Leicester, said it was a chance to bring vacant and under-used buildings in the neighbourhood back into use and make sure homes, shops and community facilities "meet the needs of those who live and work at Stocking Farm - today and in the future".

The 50 new homes will include two and three-storey houses and 24 flats, which will have between one and four bedrooms, as well as high levels of insulation and air source heat pumps to reduce utility bills.

The 19th Century Stocking Farm Farmhouse will also be converted into six assisted-living flats, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

New public spaces, including a rain garden, sensory garden and landscaped areas have also been included in the scheme after a consultation with residents.

The new road will run from Marwood Road to Packwood Road.

It will be predominantly one-way, save for at the southern tip where two-way traffic will be allowed to provide access to the homes around the farmhouse.

The council's planning officers said the scheme will "help to contribute to the city's housing supply" and will "generate affordable housing" with an "appropriate mix" for "different occupiers, including families and those requiring smaller dwellings".

They added the development will "take place on a brownfield site" in a "sustainable location with good public transport links and access to local facilities".

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