News

Celebrating 25 years Service to the Parish Council

After the Annual Parish Council Meeting, a presentation was made to Councillor Reg Neal by the Chairman, Stuart Coar, of a Silver Carriage Clock and Pen, to celebrate Councillor Neal's 25 years of Service to the Parish Council.

Past Members of the Council also joined in the celebrations.

PICNIC IN THE PARK
Come and join us to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee on Saturday 2nd June in the Forest East Park, from 2pm.

Blaby District helps community groups

Street Parties - 04 06 12

Who is your local hero?

Blaby District Council Service Shop

Recycling & Refuse Collections - Trial Scheme in Leicester Forest East

Storage of petrol at home

Blaby District Council Core Strategy update

The District Council consulted on the LDF Core Strategy (Submission Version) for a 6 week period between 19 January and 1 March 2012. The period for consultation responses has now closed.

All representations received are being considered and the issues raised will be reported to the District Council, at which time it will make a decision whether to submit the document to the Secretary of State for Examination. It was initially scheduled to be reported to a Special Meeting of the District Council on 28th March 2012, however, the final study concerning transport has not been received in time to inform the report to Council. It is therefore currently anticipated that the report will be brought to Annual District Council on 22nd May 2012.

If the Council decide to submit the document for examination, an Independent Inspector will be appointed who will consider whether the Core strategy (as submitted) is 'sound' and can be adopted by the Council. This process is likely to involve 'hearing sessions' at a date to be determined by the Planning Inspector

Parish Council's response to Blaby District Council's Core Strategy Development Plan Document, Submission Version January 2012

Proposed new town at Lubbesthorpe - Update March 2012

At a meeting held at Blaby District Council on Monday 19th March 2012 and attended by District Councillors and representatives from Parish & Town Councils, we were reminded of the details of the outline application 11/0100/1/OK for the proposed new town at Lubbesthorpe and told that the Planning Officers responsible for the looking after of the application were still waiting for further additional information from the proposed developers.

The outline application proposals are as follows:

• 4,250 dwellings;
• a secondary school;
• 2 primary schools and nurseries;
• open spaces, parks, allotments and woodlands;
• a district centre with mixed use local centres which will include a supermarket, retail, commercial, employment, leisure, heath and community facilities;
• an Strategic Employment Site;
• associated facilities and infrastructure;
• proposed new roads, a bridge over the M1 linking to Thorpe Astley and a bridge linking to the M69.

In 2011 the District Council invited representations from residents in the local vicinity of the proposed new town at Lubbesthorpe. Over 1500 representations were made and have been recorded on the Blaby District Council website www.blaby.gov.uk/lubbesthorpe

Now the Planning Officers advise us that they are waiting for additional information from the Developers with regard to:

1. Transport modelling
2. Air Quality
3. Noise and vibration/acoustics
4. Financial Viability of infrastructure

Transport:

(a) The Leicester and Leicestershire Transport Model (LLITM) has been developed and is now being used to assess the implications of the proposed new town. Work is ongoing.

(b) The Developers will provide a new Transport Assessment based on the findings of the LLITM.

(c) A 3 month 'holding objection' from the Highways Agency, has been placed on the application. This means that the application cannot be determined for 3 months or until the Developers demonstrate that there is a solution to the transport difficulties.

Air/Noise/Vibration Assessments:

(a) The Developers have re-assessed the above and have submitted drafts of these documents to the Planning Officers at Blaby District Council. The District Council's Environmental Health Dept., are assessing these documents and findings.

(b) The District Council have engaged an independent consultant to review these assessments.

Financial Viability of Infrastructure:

(a) Funding has to be secured for infrastructure associated with the proposed development.

(b) Government guidance requires that the requests for funding of infrastructure does not make a scheme unviable.

(c) Several interested parties/agencies and outside bodies have made a request for funding and these are being assessed and prioritised.

WHAT NEXT:

• The Developers will have to submit further additional information
• This will be analysed by the various statutory consultees
• A second round of consultation will begin
• Planning Officers will report on the application to the Development Control Committee
• The Development Control Committee will make a decision on the information provided by the Planning Officers

The Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, has the ability to call in the application at any time.

2nd Consultation:

• Will run for 6 weeks
• Over 8000 letters will be sent to those residents involved in the first consultation and they will be informed of the amendments made to the outline application.
• Both the representations made to the first consultation and to the second consultation will be taken into account when the application is considered and determined.
• The additional information can be viewed on Blaby District Council's website www.blaby.gov.uk/lubbesthorpe or at the Library on Holmfield Avenue West or at the Parish Council Offices, 10 Rutland Close, LFE.

New Library for Parish

The proposed new library has now received planning permission. Work is expected to commence mid to late April with a 6 month construction period.

To view maps of the location/floor plan click on the link below.

If you have information regarding the above please telephone either the Parish Office on 0116 2392198, or PC. Ali Hopkins on 0116 2222222.

SmartWater - £5 per bottle

Make sure your possessions are suitably marked

Bottles of SmartWater can be purchased at a reduced price of £5 from the Parish Office Monday to Fridays between 8.30am and 1.30pm.

Leicester Forest East/Braunstone Town boundary review

The proposal is to transfer around 122 homes from within the Leicester Forest East parish to become part of the existing Braunstone Town parish was adopted at Blaby District Councils Meeting on 13th December 2012. The proposed change will affect the following properties

1 – 12 Field Close 1 – 32 Garden Close 31 – 50 Goodheart Way 1 – 58 Stackyard Close

When the original boundary between LFE and Braunstone Town was drawn this area was open land but with the new development the parish boundary runs directly through these new houses. It therefore seems sensible to make this change as the only direct access to these homes is through Thorpe Astley and they feel residents relate more closely with this parish. Braunstone Town Council was supportive of the proposal.

The change is to become effective in April 2012. Blaby District Council will be writing to all the households affected by the propsal.

New 'Tell us Once' Service

A new service that makes it easier to inform central and local government about the death of a person has been launched in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

"Tell us once" means residents will only have to provide details about the person who has died once instead of having to repeat the same information to a number of different agencies.

Leicester City, Leicestershire and Rutland County and Leicestershire's district and borough councils have teamed up with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to launch the service, which will be extended to include births in the New Year.

People who have to register a death also have to inform a wide range of other government services. This can sometimes be time consuming and difficult.

'Tell Us Once' means people can choose, without charge, to have the registrar pass information on to other service providers such as the DWP, HM Revenue and Customs, the Identity and Passport Office and Housing and Council Tax Benefit Offices.

When making an appointment to register a death residents are now asked if they would like to use the 'Tell us once' service.

The information given to the registrar will be used mainly to update records, end services, benefits and credits as appropriate and to resolve any outstanding issues.

Some personal information will be required about the deceased and next of kin.

Central and local government are working together to include additional services, however other service providers who can be informed through 'Tell Us Once' are the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Library Service and Council Housing Services.

For more information call 0116 305 6509 or visit www.leics.gov.uk/tellusonce

Getting Noticed on-line

Business tips to boost online trade

Businesses in Blaby district who are looking to get more hits on their website can attend
a free internet marketing and training event in Braunstone Town on 8 March 2012.

'Getting Noticed Online' will be held at the civic centre, Kingsway, from 9.30am until
12.30pm and is designed to help local small to medium businesses become more
internet savvy to boost online trade.

The session has been organised by Blaby District Council in partnership with Internet Expert.

Councillor Ted Webster-Williams, portfolio holder for policy and partnerships said: "Many
smaller businesses face tough times ahead, with stiff competition in an often crowded online market place so it's important they have the tools to compete and increase their internet trade."

To book a place email economicdevelopment@blaby.gov.uk or contact Carole Troake, economic development officer on 0116 272 7735.

Extra Classrooms planned for Stafford Leys, view the details here