There was a record turnout from members of the public this week, as Melton Borough Council met to debate and approve the Melton Core Strategy. The strategy document paves the way for over one thousand new homes to be built on green field sites in the north of the town.
After a lengthy presentation from the officers, which many in the audience regarded as unnecessary, borough councillors sat down to debate if they should accept the policy or not. The large number of people attending the meeting was down to the work of Melton North Action Group, which is campaigning against the housing proposals.
You can read a fuller report of the debate on Melton Mowbray People and Melton Times.
Leading the debate, Melton North Councillor Matthew O’Callaghan proposed a motion that the council delay accepting the report while further work was done by officers to seek assurance from the County Council on the viability of a plan for a Melton Bypass. This proposal was rejected and councillors agreed to accept the strategy document which will now go to consultation, before being considered by an independent planning enquiry.
Councillors voted sixteen in favour and eight against the proposals, the majority of the support for the plan coming from councillors outside of the town. The general mood of those against the proposals was that there should be no housing without a bypass.
Many residents expressed their frustration that the councillors had not taken their views into account, and that they would now be extending their campaign through the consultation process.
Several issues now arise from the decision to accept the policy that will affect residents in the South of Melton, such as:
• Any money that is raised through development will be used to mitigate increased traffic and congestion in Melton North. Will this also be applied to hotspots in South Melton, as there is significant congestion at peak times?
• Will the King Edward VII school site be offered for development in addition to the housing in the north of Melton?
• How secure are the ‘green-belt’ areas around the South of Melton, and is there likely to be any additional building across Kirby Lane?
• Where is the funding for the much needed bypass going to come from, as the County Council has not proposed to enter Melton into the Transport Plan that it submits to the government?
• Is the proposal for the bypass to complete a three-quarter ring around the town still going ahead?
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