A village near Ashby looks set for new social housing - despite concerns the area will be "overdeveloped".

The 18-home plan for Breedon on the Hill will be debated by North West Leicestershire District Council's (NWLDC) planning committee tomorrow (Tuesday, October 1).

The new homes would be built on previously undeveloped land to the north of Southworth Road, with all 18 intended to be social housing.

The plan by Bowsall Developments Ltd has proven unpopular with neighbours and Breedon on the Hill Parish Council, who fear it will overshadow nearby properties, exacerbate flooding in the area, cause highways safety issues, and services in the village would be unable to cope with additional residents.

The parish also said there was already "significant overdevelopment" in the area, branding the scheme "unacceptable".

NWLDC also recently approved building on the last remaining link to the former Breedon Priory Golf Club, located nearby, adding to residents' fears.

However, the developer said in its application that social housing is "much-needed" in the area and the plans were "high quality". Planning officers have recommended councillors give the go-ahead for the scheme.

The department said there would be "no substantial harm" from the development, which they added would provide "economic benefits" and came with "positive social sustainability aspects". Officers also noted that Leicestershire County Council as the local highways authority was satisfied that access of Southworth Road was "safe and suitable" and there would be no "detrimental impact to highways safety".

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Officers also believed the scheme would create no "adverse impacts to existing and future residential amenities", while they made clear that it was not the developers job to "address deficiencies" in existing surface water drainage and flooding in the area. Instead, it said was on them to make sure they did not make the issue worse.

The application does propose measures to prevent additional flooding being caused by the development, officers said.

If approved by NWLDC, the scheme would see a mix of two-bed and three-bed homes built on the land. These would be formed of 12 two-storey semi-detached properties and six two-storey terraced properties.