January 2026 - Our Month in Review
Very pleased to kick start the New Year with some good news.
The damaged bus stop reported to Mike Shirley and I last year at the top of Sharnford Road in Sapcote has now been repaired. 🔨
Many thanks to the officers at Blaby DC for your support in getting this sorted and to Cllr Nigel Grundy, who is Portfolio Holder for Assets at Blaby DC, for helping throughout. 👏
New Year Update
Looking out of the window at a clear crisp Sunday morning it is so pleasing to see the major difference from the last two years….NO FLOODS.
Looking back over 2025 there have been many changes in Leicestershire. At a county level there has been a change of leadership with Reform taking control of the Council. We are still waiting to see if they come good with their manifesto commitments and our local county councillor attending parish council meetings on a regular basis, or at least, providing a monthly report which shows how he is supporting and representing our ward residents.
At a Blaby District Council level your ward councillors now sit on the executive cabinet with Ben as leader of the council and Mike as portfolio holder for planning and strategic growth. Despite our increase in responsibility and workload, our first and foremost role is to represent our residents in Aston Flamville, Elmesthorpe, Sapcote, Sharnford, and Wigston Parva. This does mean attending parish meetings and addressing individual residents’ concerns.
NEWS RELEASE
Vehicle storage appeal dismissed
A bid to continue storing vehicles on rural land at Sapcote Quarry has been dismissed by a government planning inspector.
Applicant John Mac appealed an enforcement notice issued on 15 June 2023 by Blaby District Council. Officers discovered the site was being used to keep lorries, trailers and vans. No planning permission had been granted for this.
In his appeal, Mr Mac said he was not in breach of planning control since the vehicles were associated with the construction of a new house at an adjacent site fronting Leicester Road.
However, the Planning Inspectorate official, David Jones, agreed with the Council that most of the vehicles were not those you would associate with building works and that the house was now complete.
He rejected Mr Mac’s claim the vehicles were not ‘stored’ but ‘parked’, saying many which were noted in 2023 were still there when he visited in August this year.
Mr Jones added: “Within the site now is a somewhat haphazard storage of a significant number of large vehicles, including lorries, lorry trailers and vans within a relatively confined space.
“This adds visual clutter to what was previously a largely undeveloped part of the countryside and consequently the appeal site conveys an industrial character. This reads as a visual intrusion into the countryside which adversely affects the rural character of the area.”
The enforcement notice was varied by the Planning Inspectorate giving Mr Mac three months to clear the site, with the deadline being 8 March 2026.
Councillor Mike Shirley, Blaby District Portfolio Holder for Planning and Strategic Growth, said: “Planning controls are in force for a reason, and we will deal rigorously with any breaches. This site has been an eyesore for more than two years but thanks to the appeal dismissal we hope to see it returned to its former rural condition very soon.”
Felled Christmas Tree
Last year we met with local residents along William Spencer Ave, in Sapcote. Where the Christmas tree out front was felled. This is really sad to see and if anyone has any information they can share, please pass this over to the police, quoting crime number 25000670260.
Leicestershire Live also did a article on the event, which can be found here: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/residents-hit-out-sickening-vandals-10712823?utm_source=mynewsassistant.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=embedded_search_item_desktop
Fosse Meadows – Mason Supporting HOPE
At the end of last year, we popped over to see Mason at Fosse Meadows. Mason has been supporting Hope@Christmas over the break, a local charity that supports struggling families across Sapcote & Sharnford.
We are so pleased to support what Mason is doing. He is an enormous asset to the community down at Fosse Meadows and wider, thank you for everything you do, Mason. If you're able to get down and support the charity, please do. And don't forget to grab a cuppa from Mason's Il Cappo Del Caffè
HNRFI
Moving on, it has been satisfying to see that all of the hard work put in by district, county, and parish councils, by their officers and councillors has resulted in the government refusing the Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange (HNRFI) application. We must also commend the various local action groups who supported the refusal with their valuable time and effort. A success for democracy.
Councillor Activities
The following plan shows a busy timetable for the new year beginning with scrutiny of the 2026/27 Budget. Ben and Mike will attend Parish Council meetings, committee meetings, cabinet meetings, local functions and meetings with residents.
• Bi-monthly meeting with Executive Director Place - 6th
• Veteran Coffee Morning – 7th
• Cabinet Meeting with Senior Leadership Team (SLT) – 7th
• Cabinet Meeting – 8th
• Sapcote Parish Council Meeting – 8th
• Sharnford Bacon Buttie – 10th
• Cabinet Executive – 12th
• Council Agenda Review – 14th
• Scrutiny of Admin Budget Proposals – 14th
• Sharnford Fete Committee – 14th
• Meeting with General Manager Planning – 15th
• Local Plan Development Group – 15th
• Sharnford Parish Council Meeting – 15th
• Bi-monthly meeting with Executive Director Place – 19th
• Scrutiny of Admin Budget Proposals – 21st
• Police Beat Surgery – Sapcote Library – 22nd
• Full District Council Meeting – 27th
• Cabinet Meeting – 28th
News
• Green light for affordable homes
• Vehicle storage appeal dismissed
• Christmas taxi check operation success
• Appeal lodged on Sycamore Street site
New Local Plan
Blaby now aim to produce the next stage of the Local Plan, known as the Regulation 19 version, by April 2026. This is a full draft that we will consult on, asking residents, businesses and communities their views on proposals for development across the District until 2042.
After public consultation, the Local Plan will be put to the Planning Inspectorate for examination by an independent inspector.
Statement of Community Involvement
We have recently received complaints from a few residents that they have not been notified of planning applications in their area. In line with legislation Blaby District Council are required to provide and continuously review the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) which is available on the Blaby District Council website. The 19-page document lays out the council’s planning obligations, but we have summarised the relevant sections below, which can be found on page 15 of the document:
4.2.3 Upon receipt of a valid planning application, the Council will undertake a period of formal consultation which will normally last for a period of 21 days. Consultation letters will be sent to those properties which share a common boundary with the application site. Where a road falls adjacent to the boundary it shall be ignored for the purpose of consultation where the road is of a width of less than 20 metres. If the adjoining property has no postal address, a site notice will be displayed on or adjacent to the application site.
4.2.5 When the legislation requires the publication of a press notice, a notice will be placed in the Leicester Mercury newspaper. When the legislation requires a site notice to be displayed, the notice will be posted on or adjacent to the application site.
4.2.8 If significant amendments are made to the application during its consideration, the Council will carry out a further consultation which will be for a minimum period of 10 days.
4.2.11 The Council will consult in accordance with the legislative requirements as a minimum. There may be occasions when the Council considers it appropriate to undertake additional consultation above and beyond the minimum statutory requirements, but this will be at the Council’s discretion taking into account the particular circumstances in relation to a specific application.
In addition to the above, the planning department will notify your ward councillors and the local Parish Council.
PDF version of this newsletter can be downloaded from the link below.
