Leicestershire Countryside Safe
The Government have announced the locations of the "eco towns" to be built over the next few years, and most of the population of Leicestershire are rejoicing that the proposed site in the county, given the wholly inappropriate name of Pennbury, has not been chosen.
Certainly housing is desperately needed, but the storm of protest against Pennbury was not just a nimby reaction. The proposed site is a beautiful area of Leicestershire countryside (the county`s countryside is quite outstanding), which is also prime agricultural land. Both would have been lost forever if the plans had gone through.
"Pennbury" was to take up a massive area a few miles from Leicester, between Great Glen, Stoughton and Houghton-on-the-Hill, straddling the Roman road known as the Via Devana (and known locally as the Gartree Road) which linked Leicester with Colchester and is now a quiet rural byway.
The MPs Edward Garnier (Conservative), Andrew Robathan (Conservative) and Sir Peter Soulsby (Labour) all spoke passionately against the plans.
Another proposed site in the East Midlands, at RAF Newton near Nottingham, has also been rejected.
Posted by colin on Friday 17th July, 2009 at 7:59am