There was strong opposition from local residents and councillors
13:43, 08 Apr 2026
Councillors deferred the decision during a planning committee meeting(Image: Google)
Controversial plans that risked a Leicestershire hamlet becoming “houses from border-to-border” have been deferred after officials failed to reach a decision on the scheme.
Residents and councillors joined together to push back on the controversial plan for the 135 homes planned for land south of Jacqueline Road in Field Head, near Markfield.
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council (HBBC) met at a planning committee on April 7 to discuss the plan, with officers recommending approval.
The site has been the subject of numerous housing developments over the years. In 2015, permission was denied for up to 140 homes on the site, with members of HBBC’s planning committee agreeing with a recommendation from officers that the application be refused.
More than 70 objections to the proposals were raised to these proposals, with council officers saying at the time that it would “significantly exceed the housing requirement for Markfield”, and would cause “harm to the landscape setting of the village”.
The meeting over the 135-home plan saw seven people speak out about the development, including Councillor Claire Harris, Councillor Chris Lambert and County Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, who objected to the plan.
Parish councillors David Hyde and Nathan Clarke, representing Groby and Markfield Parish Council, also appeared opposing the scheme.
In his objection, Cllr Hyde said Field Head “would be houses border-to-border every which way shape and form” if the homes were approved and that the plan was “unacceptable” too.
He added: “There’s going to be rat runs, there’s going to be people’s safety at risk.
“We have no community buildings, we have no community assets. Field Head will be houses. We need that in this development if it goes forward. We need more green open spaces and connections to Field Head so we can become part of our community”.
Conservative Cllr Claire Harris also urged the planning committee to refuse the planning application, saying it was a “big decision” and had “long-term consequences”.
She said: “One of the biggest problems with this application is that there is no safe crossing from the site into Markfield. People living here would have to cross a busy fast road to reach the village.
“This is a dangerous road. Members also need to think about what has happened on these roads. There’s been a recorded fatality at a nearby junction, a long record of car crashes and a recent accident less than two weeks ago.
“This is not theory, this is not abstract risk, this is what local people deal with on a daily basis”.
The meeting also saw Jack Boyce, representing developer Taylor Wimpey, say that the proposal “supported development ambitions” of the borough council and that the council “did not have a five-year housing supply”.
He added: “It leaves the council vulnerable to unplanned and speculative applications.
“Our housing mix supports all generations, from the 40 per cent affordable housing for those in most need, and young people looking to get onto the property ladder and want to stay or return to the village”.
Mr Boyce also said in terms of highways, Leicestershire County Council had taken a “comprehensive review” of the development and considered the proposals to be “acceptable”.
He also highlighted section 106 contributions, including almost £700,000 to improve the A50 Field Head roundabout to prevent “severe highways impact” as highlighted by officers.
Councillors and campaigners outside Hinckley Borough Council offices after deferral(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Concerns were also raised by “interested parties” about possible unexploded bombs on the land; however, Mr Boyce said that “extensive and robust” investigations found that there was “no significant risk” regarding unexploded ordinance.
During the meeting, HBBC leader Stuart Bray said many residents and councillors expressed their concerns about highway safety and traffic before issuing a motion to defer the decision.
He also said he felt there was a “massive disconnect on what people see on a daily basis” compared to what the county council sees.
He added: “Are we confident that the county council have properly assessed this and whether we should be going back to them and asking them to think again?”
Planning officers said that they were “confident” that the county council had considered the scheme “in detail”. Cllr Bray said he was “really uncomfortable” and wanted to “test it again” with highways officers.
Cllr Robin Webber-Jones also seconded the motion to defer the decision and said that the council needed “a really deep, detailed and honest look at the situation.
Councillors at the planning committee voted unanimously to defer the decision.
