Tuesday 16th July 2024  

Quorn land is 'unsuitable' for housing, say planners - 1960

Here are an interesting couple of newspaper articles commenting on the refusal of planning permission and subsequent appeal for the land which eventually became the Farley Way development in the 1980s.



Loughborough Monitor - 13th May 1960

Why should the public be deprived of "a most pleasant development" at Quorn because the County Planning Committee says it is "undesirable"? Solicitor Mr John Rodgers posed this question at a Loughborough inquiry on Tuesday.

He was appearing for farmer Mr Walter Turner, of Moorlands Farm, Quorn and Mr Maurice Whitehouse of 116 Barrow Road, Quorn. They were appealing against the County Council's refusal to allow the building of 13 houses off Barrow Road.

Estate agent Mr Thomas Wagg, of Loughborough, earlier told the minister's inspector that the demand for building land in the villages around the town was "insatiable". He added: "And I think that is proved by the price which building land is fetching at auctions."

Mr Rodgers said the land in question was uneconomic from an agricultural point of view. It is more or less derelict, a waste piece of land which would be much more desirable for building development. He said the plan was to have two houses fronting on Barrow, with a detached house behind, and a row of 12 houses along the present access to Mr Turner's farm.

One of the reasons for the county council's refusal to grant planning permission, he went on was that the land was low lying and had a high water table. But in January during the worst floods in the area for more than 20 years, when the roadway near Barrow was under three feet of water, the land in question was "high and dry". Mr Rodgers said there was a definite need in Quorn for smaller plots of building land where smaller builders could erect the "individual" type of house.

Mr G. R. Lang for the county council said the proposed development was opposed because the housing layout was unsatisfactory, and not in relation to existing development. The land was low lying, he said, and not suitable for building development. The only outlet for water was the roadside ditch in Barrow Road and it would not be reasonably practicable to drain more than a very short length of the proposed road to it.

The plan was for "a long, narrow tongue of development going some 230 yards into the country," said Mr Lang. It would have open country on three sides. "It is the sort of site for which there would be a ready sale. But that is not the point under consideration. Is this the proper way to go on with the development of Quorn? The view of the planning authority is that if there is a demand for more land for future development of Quorn, then the obvious place to put it is within the limits of the existing village development. The planning authority says there is land which could be used in that way."

Mr W.J.B Beardsley opposed the plan for housing development on behalf of five residents opposite the proposed site.

He said one man at no 91 had bought his house only three years ago and another man at no 93 only six years ago. In both cases, before they purchased they approached Barrow R.D.C to find out if there was any likelihood of development opposite.

They were informed there was no likelihood because it would constitute ribbon development and because there was the possibility that the land might flood.

The inquiry was closed, and the Minister's inspector, Mr A.E Rochard-Thomas later inspected the site. His comments and the Minister's decision will be announced at a later date.



Loughborough Monitor - 8th July 1960

Minister says 'No' to Quorn housing plan

An appeal by Messrs W Turner and M Whitehouse to build houses on a plot of land adjacent to 116 Barrow Road, Quorn has been dismissed by the Minister of Housing and Local Government. This decision follows a local inquiry after Leicestershire County Council had refused to grant planning permission for the erection of houses and the widening of existing access to the plot of land.

In his report the Ministry Inspector, Mr A. E Rochard-Thomas recommended the appeal be dismissed because development in the manner proposed would constitute an undesirable intrusion of urban development into the open country. It would also be detrimental to the amenities of the approach road to Quorn from Barrow on Soar. He also recommended, however, that the dismissal of the appeal should be without prejudice to any subsequent application for the erection of two houses on the land fronting Barrow Road.

He observed in his report: "While I am not satisfied on the evidence submitted that the water table in this particular area is such as to preclude all residential development, I am in no doubt that development in depth as now proposed on this strip of land which occupies an open and conspicuous position on the northern fringe of the village, would be an undesirable intrusion into the rural surroundings of the village.

A letter from the Ministry says that the Minister has noted the suggestion regarding the use of the frontage land for two houses only, but he cannot give a decision affecting only part of the appeal site on the application at present before him.

Submitted on: 2011-09-19 Submitted by: Kathryn Paterson Artefact ID: 1394 Artefact URL: www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=1394 Print: View artefact in printer-friendly page