Agenda item

An Officer from the Planning Department, will talk to residents about planning issues in the Aylestone Ward.

Mike Richardson, Head of Planning, Management and Delivery was introduced to the meeting and it was explained that planning issues concerning the football pitches on Aylestone Playing Fields, the Aldi store and the Bloor Homes development would be discussed.

APPLICATION FOR CLUBHOUSE AND ARTIFICIAL SPORTS PITCHES ON AYLESTONE PLAYING FIELDS.

Shaun Miles, Sports Project Manager, Leicester City Council Sports Services was present to talk to residents about the proposed football pitches on Aylestone playing fields.  Shaun explained that a planning application had been submitted for a clubhouse, artificial surface sports pitches with fencing, floodlights, car parking and landscaping. He added that there would be 17 football pitches in total.  Shaun said that objections had been received which included objections relating to the loss of ecology and the impact of flooding.  He added that there were proposals to increase the habitat and it was hoped to strike a balance between the provision of sports facilities and the loss of ecology.

A number of comments and concerns were addressed by residents, which included the following:

• The proposed football pitches would not actually be on Aylestone Playing Fields but on Aylestone Meadows, a site to the east of the playing fields. The Council were using an incorrect and out of date map.

• Aylestone Meadows was defined as a local nature reserve and residents considered it to be a ‘gem’ of a country park. There were concerns that it would become fragmented if parts of it were built on.
• The work in mitigation would not compensate for the damage to ecology.
• The Council should do more to support green spaces in the City rather than damaging the areas such as this.
• The Council should be making improvements to the Meadows.
• The proposal for 17 pitches with floodlights was vast and would spoil the beauty of the park
• There were concerns over the number of environmental groups that had objected to the proposal.
• The proposal was not supported by the local community.
• There had been no consultation on the proposals apart from the usual planning notices, though Shuan explained that there had been consultation events.
• There was already very heavy traffic in Aylestone.

Mike Richardson addressed the meeting and explained that the comments from residents had been very valuable and they would be fed into the planning process. He added that Green Wedge policies permitted developments in green wedge areas that provided for sporting facilities and therefore the proposal did not contradict those planning policies. 

Shaun explained that they had been unable to find anywhere else in the city to accommodate 17 football pitches but the Council were looking for alternative sites.

Members of the public were asked to indicate by a show of hands whether they were in favour or against the proposal. The vast majority of residents present indicated that they were against the proposal.

The Chair suggested that residents should write to Planning, Management and Delivery to give their views on the proposal.

ALDI AND BLOOR HOMES

Representatives from Aldi and Bloor Homes addressed the meeting and it was explained that planning permission had already been granted for 190 homes to form a residential development. However in the current economic climate such a development was not viable and Aldi and Bloor had teamed up to provide a mixed use development.

The following comments were made:

• Traffic was already a problem in the area and this would surely exacerbate the problem.
• The store would be close to a school and additional traffic would be anticipated because the plans showed a provision for 89 parking spaces at the store.
• It would be likely that the traffic situation would deteriorate when the park and ride scheme commenced, with buses travelling along Aylestone Road.

In response the meeting heard that there would have been extra traffic anyway as the development for 190 homes had already been approved. The new application was for 69 properties instead of 190 so the number of cars coming to the residential homes would be reduced. It was anticipated that Aldi would serve the local community as there were other Aldi stores in the City and that people would shop there when passing the store.

• What does Aldi offer the local community?

The meeting heard that Aldi would be keen to become part of the local community and the Area Manager would ensure that the store would represent the community in a positive way.  Aldi had supported football teams and charities in the past and anyone who wished to attract their attention should write in.

• I live on Old Church Street and I saw the revised plans from Bloors but I did not know about the plans for the Aldi store until tonight.

Mike Richardson explained that there were two separate planning applications and a planning notice had been displayed at the Bloor site. Decisions would have to be made on each application. Mike added that the Highways Authority had not objected to the applications. They looked at the volume of traffic, turning issues and pedestrian issues and would respond if they thought the application would pose any danger.

In response to queries about the implications of any flooding issues, the meeting heard that Bloor had spent a considerable amount of time and money on research, which showed that only a very small part of the land was actually on a flood plain.

The Chair asked residents to write to Planning Management and Delivery with their views on the application, but in the meantime residents were asked to indicate by a show of hands whether they were in favour of, or against the proposals. The majority of residents present abstained from voting, but of those who did vote, there were more against the proposal than in favour.