Planning Applications and Neighbourhood Plans
Responding to planning applications
The Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust receives many enquiries about planning applications and also requests for help with Neighbourhood Plans. As a small charity, we have limited resources and are only able to deal with a fraction of the planning applications that come to our attention and therefore have to prioritise those that we do respond to.
Currently, we only object to a planning application where we believe that there is a genuine threat to our nature reserves or adjacent property. Any planning applications are currently dealt with by the Nature Recovery team following discussion with Reserve staff.
Where Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) or Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) are likely to be impacted, we would expect the appropriate statutory consultee to make comments to secure a net gain in biodiversity and to object if there is insufficient mitigation or compensations for the loss. We also expect consultees to have regard to biodiversity loss if a priority habitat or priority species may be affected. Statutory consultees include Natural England, Local Planning Authority ecologists and the Environment Agency.
Nature Recovery across Leicestershire and Rutland is at the heart of what the Trust wants to achieve and so we also consider how the natural green network could be impacted or enhanced by development proposals. In doing this, we take a proactive approach working with statutory consultees and other partners to maximise opportunities to create new, sustainable corridors that act as foraging routes for bats, birds, invertebrates and mammals and which may compensate for biodiversity loss elsewhere.
We do not directly assist with applications outside our immediate priority, but we aim to empower others to take their own action where they have concerns. A number of advice sheets for people wishing to object to a planning application or compiling a Neighbourhood Plan have been produced to help with this process.
These can be downloaded as pdfs by clicking on the links below:
Information on objecting to a planning application
Guidance for writing Neighbourhood Plans
Recent Planning Applications commented on by Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust
For more information on each planning application, please visit the relevant districts planning application pages
Location: Land OS 5000, Launde Road, Tilton On The Hill, Leicestershire.
Proposal: Outline application for the erection of up to 90 lodges and associated ancillary buildings (all matters reserved except access)
Date: 18/04/2024
Application No: 24/00396/OUT
District: Harborough District Council
Location: Clipsham/Pickworth Great Wood
Proposal: Creation of Coronation Wood linking Clipsham/Pickworth Great Wood
Date: 20/04/24
Application No: NA
District: NA
Location: Castle Cement Ltd Ketton Works Ketco Avenue Ketton Rutland PE9 3SX
Proposal: Proposed extensions to Grange Top Quarry, for construction and use of a new access and site access road from the A606, a security gatehouse, bridleway bridge and associated works to facilitate the continued supply of minerals to Ketton Cement Works, the consolidation of existing mineral extraction permissions and a restoration scheme to recreate agricultural land and biodiversity enhancement works.
Date: 16/02/2024
Application No: 20240066MIN
District: Rutland County Council
Location: Local Plan
Proposal: Local Plan
Date: 04/01/2024
Application No: Local Plan
District: Rutland County Council
Location: Land Off Oakham Road Halstead Tilton On The Hill Leicestershire
Proposal: Regularisation of existing operations and associated ancillary development
Date: 26/10/2023
Application No: 23/01347/FUL
District: Harborough District Council
Location: Mountsorrel Quarry, Wood Lane, Quorn, Loughborough. LE12 8GE
Proposal: Proposed lateral extensions to the existing quarry.
Date: 10/10/2023
Application No: 2023/EIA/0096/LCC
District: Leicestershire County Council