Plans for a residential care home at Willow Farm in Moira have been delayed yet again - more than six years after the application was first made.

Ashby de la Zouch Town Council has twice raised objections to the proposed development, including apartments and cottages with associated car parking and landscaping.

And today (Monday), North West Leicestershire District Council has called for site investigations to be carried out before getting the go-ahead - relating to previous coal mining work and the possible presence of mine gas.

A letter from the Coal Authority refers to the site's 'legacy of coal mining works'.

The developers - the Birmingham-based MACC Group - have been that the following items must be undertaken, at the their expense, and details shall be submitted to and agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority:

• The submission of a scheme of intrusive site investigations, including mine gas monitoring;
• The undertaking of the scheme of intrusive site investigations;
• The submission of a report of findings arising from intrusive site investigations; and,
• The submission of a scheme of remedial works for the shallow coal workings and mine gas protection measures for approval.

The council adds that no development shall commence on site until details of such remedial works have been implemented.

The Ashby Road site was first earmarked for the complex in 2015.

And although planning permission was granted in 2018, no work started and the application was re-submitted earlier this year under 'reserved matters'.

However, the updated plans met with strong opposition from councillors sitting on the town council's planning committee.

They said the new application's layout for the home was different to that already submitted previously.

One called it 'a carrbuncle in the forest'.

You can read that article HERE.