The 'community facility' to be built as part of the new Money Hill estate, will not be paid for by the developers, councillors in Ashby have been told.

Last week's meeting of Ashby de la Zouch Town Council's planning committee was updated on the facility which is scheduled to be part of the first phase new 605-home development being built between the A511 and Nottingham Road.

It had been hoped that the building could have been used by local community groups

But committee chair, Cllr Dave Bigby, reported back from a meeting to discuss the planned facility.

He told councillors that it was 'disappointing' to find that it was not going to be paid for by the developers and has to be purchased by a buyer, at commercial rates, after being advertised.

Cllr Bigby added: "That's the situation as we find it, it isn't terribly helpful to the town or the community."

The estate will be a joint development between Taylor-Wimpey and Bloor Homes - called Castle Manor and Ashby Fields, respectively.

Cllr Murrae Blair-Park clarified that the facility was simply a piece of real estate and would not be suitable for a scout group, for example, as it would be sold at commercial rates.

He added: "What was labelled as community building, is not at all. We found this frustrating in the meeting, our interpretation was that it could be used by the community, but it's not. Someone could take it as a cafe, gym or nursery, something like that."

Cllr Bigby added that the agreement was 'vague' and he would be taking this issue up with North West Leicestershire District Council, particularly with regards to tightening up future wording on S106 agreements - the legally-binding link with a landowner as part of the granting of planning permission.

He added that the reading of the Section 106 agreement says that the facility was unlikely to be 'given' to the town.

But Cllr Bigby also commented that there may be further opportunities when phase two of the Money Hill plan is presented to the Town Council.

The houses are being built to help meet the requirement for new homes by 2031.

It will be delivered in phases, the first of which will be approximately 130 new homes built within five years.