Proposal to build ‘affordable’ homes in city runs counter to conservation plans, residents say

A plan to build ‘affordable’ homes in a Leicestershire town flies in the face of a proposed heritage scheme, a local group claims. If approved, a former milking parlour next to a historic Grade II listed farm in Braunstone Town would be demolished and 13 properties built on the land.

The parlour is one of “only two remaining farm buildings on the site” of what was once Manor Farm, on Braunstone Lane, and elements of the structure are recognised for their architectural significance, according to Braunstone Heritage Archive Group. It is also included in an area that Blaby District Council is proposing to turn into a new conservation area.

The group claimed that while the idea of ​​creating a new conservation area was “full of admirable promise”, those “promises” were in direct conflict with the council’s potential approval of a bid to demolish the salon – which is also on the list because it is part of the farm setting – and build homes there in its place.

READ MORE: Huge Leicestershire countryside site with ‘redevelopment potential’ goes on sale for £1m

If the conservation area plan goes ahead, buildings on the site will be given greater protection from development or demolition. A public consultation on the conservation area plan began on Tuesday 4 June.

Meanwhile, the last public consultation on the housing plan started on Monday 1 July. So far, 123 objections have been filed against the plan.

Braunstone Heritage Archive Group said in a statement: “While the public is invited to comment on the proposed conservation area, (which) is full of admirable promises to support the preservation of the village’s heritage, Blaby District Council is, with much less publicity, holding a statutory three-week consultation on a plan (…) to build 13 social homes (…) in the heart of the proposed new conservation area.

“The site they are proposing for development was once Manor Farm and (the plan) involves the demolition of (a) former milking parlour on the farm which until recently was used for a long period by a local business in connection with their trade as painters and decorators until they were vacated. The building they are seeking to demolish is one of two remaining farm buildings on the site, both ‘curtilage listed’ (…), and is the largest building within the proposed conservation area which is supposedly protected as heritage.” The Act provides that buildings and other structures pre-dating July 1948 and located within the curtilage of a listed building must be treated as part of the listed building.

The group added: “We will not be commenting further on these clearly contradictory proposals (…) but residents of the village on this side of Braunstone Lane have been waiting for the proposal for a conservation area that would cover their listed and other historic buildings for 50 years.”

The new homes have been on the planning list since 2021, documents show. If approved, the plan, submitted by Venture Properties Ltd, would see a mix of eight houses, two maisonettes and three bungalows, including one “dementia-friendly” bungalow, built on the land. The developer has described the milking parlour as a “derelict outbuilding” and has claimed there would be “no harm” to the heritage of the wider site if it were to be demolished.

A spokesman for Blaby District Council said: “In proposing a conservation area in Braunstone Town we considered the special architectural and historic character of the area. Consideration of a planning application is a separate process to the assessment of possible conservation area designation.

“Undecided planning applications cannot form part of a Conservation Area Assessment. As no decision has yet been made on the proposed 13 houses at the back of Avon Road in the town, it was not appropriate to include these in our consultation or design of the Conservation Area.

“Should an application in or near the proposed conservation area be approved before the council considers the designation later in the year, we will consider whether any changes need to be made to the valuation and proposed boundary. Designated conservation areas may be subject to review, as is the case in the adjacent Leicester City Area, to assess the potential impact of additional development.”