Monthly News from Neil O’Brien MP

October 2024

Hello,

Welcome to the October edition of my e-Newsletter.

Stop the new town between Oadby and Great Glen

The Government has decided to build thousands of new houses between Oadby and Great Glen.

In a government press release recently published online, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced that thousands of houses will be built around Stretton Hall. It was only one of three such sites announced in the country.

I have written to the Deputy Prime Minister demanding an urgent meeting to discuss this proposal, and the disgraceful way it has been sprung on local residents with no consultation - and without the Minister even visiting our community.

What does this mean for our area?

The scale of the proposed development is huge. On the largest site, Harborough District says, “The development of 10,000 homes and associated development is being proposed.” But multiple other sites are being put forward for development on top of that.

Quite apart from Great Glen and Oadby being surrounded by new houses and absorbed into the city, our local infrastructure will not cope - the new town will send vast amounts of extra traffic through Great Glen and Oadby. The roads are already busy, and this would cause chaos.

As you may remember, 15 years ago the last Labour government also wanted to build a new town here, called “Pennbury Eco Town”. That proposal was defeated following strong local opposition, and because of the major problems with traffic - massive issues which have not gone away.

The government’s announcement comes as Harborough District and Oadby & Wigston Borough are both drawing up their next Local Plans - documents which determine where new housing should go.

At present it seems likely that Harborough District will approve this very large development between Great Glen and Oadby as part of its local plan. We need to change their mind.

The council insists that officially “no decisions have been made” - but this is the area the council were planning to focus housebuilding on even prior to the government’s announcement.

The proposed new town is so large that much of it is in the constituency of neighbouring MP Alicia Kearns, who is also against it. We will soon organise a public meeting and other campaigning.

Please do reply to this email if you would like to be kept in touch with the campaign - I have a separate email list just for this issue.

Save Leicester’s New Hospitals Programme

The government has announced a review into the New Hospitals Programme, threatening the previously announced plans for the two new hospitals, a midwifery-led unit and a multi-storey car park at Leicester's three hospital sites.

I am urging Harborough, Oadby and Wigston residents to sign my petition to save these plans from being scrapped.

These plans are incredibly important to people across Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, who depend on the hospital facilities in Leicester.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is one of the country's biggest and busiest NHS Trusts - serving over 1,100,000 people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland - and both staff and patients have been anticipating these promised new facilities.

Work on the new hospital at the Leicester Royal Infirmary is due to start next year, but this review threatens that work.

I have joined other Leicester and Leicestershire MPs in calling for the protection of the funding for these new facilities.

Meetings with Oadby & Wigston Council and Local Police

I had two useful meetings in the last couple of days: one with Oadby and Wigston Council and one with local police.

With the council we discussed protecting the open spaces that have been sold off by landowners in the Borough and the potential impact on the Borough of government plans for a a major new development between Oadby and Great Glen.

In my conversation with the police they revealed they have identified and warned some of the people who have been involved in car cruising on the A6 which is good. I also quizzed officers on the legal reforms they would like to see to make it easier for us to get more criminals behind bars - they mentioned several things which I will take up.

New Banking Hub for Market Harborough

Following a review of banking provision and access to cash in Harborough, the organisation LINK has announced that a new banking hub will open in the town. This follows the closure of several bank branches here. Exact details are yet to be announced, but essentially it will mean that customers will have access to a counter service they previously lost due to their bank branches closing. It will also mean that cash is more readily available for people in the town.

I had a helpful meeting with LINK during the recent Conservative Party Conference. They also have confirmed that the closure of the Lloyds branch will not take place until the new hub is open. They were due to close in December. That means that Lloyds customers will have continuous access to a counter service.

Taking questions at Beauchamp College

I recently took part in the 'Beauchamp Does Question Time' event at Beauchamp College in Oadby. The students asked some great questions, and we discussed several local, national, and international issues.

Kibworth puddle finally getting sorted

This week, I dropped in to see the workers who had just begun work to fix the infamous Kibworth puddle.

Work will continue for about ten days, but they are confident they can fix the problem. I am pleased that Network Rail is finally getting it sorted after much chasing!

Visit to the Hub Club in Wigston

I visited the Hub Club in Wigston last week. It is a lovely community, and they meet every week. It is hosted at Hope Community Church on Bull Head Street. It's a really nice thing for people who want to get out and meet people, and there's good cake!

Market Harborough Fire Station

It was great visiting Market Harborough Fire Station and talking to firefighters about local issues. They do some amazing stuff.

One thing they are keen to do is recruit more retained firefighters. It is a paid role, and you could save lives.  You can find out more and apply here.

Parking issues at Launde School in Oadby

I recently met with residents and teachers at Launde to discuss some local parking issues and how to solve them. I know everyone is busy, but people are parking on the zigzags, and kids are also dashing across the road, which is pretty busy.

Now that the entrance is open again, there's also an issue with drivers going around and blocking people in on The Yews or Uplands Road. We were working up a plan of action, which I hope to update on soon.

Potential Good News on Roman Way

Many will know I have been trying to help find a long-term home for Shopmobility in Market Harborough since the County Council announced that they want to sell their centre at Roman Way. I recently met with the County Council leader, who agreed to an extension to their lease.

However, there has been some potential further good news. Market Harborough and The Bowdens Charity have expressed an interest in purchasing the centre from the County Council and retaining it for community use. If this comes off, it will be good news for Shopmobility.

Framework Knitters in Oadby

Really lovely to go to the Macmillan coffee morning at the Framework Knitters' Alms Houses in Oadby. Excellent cake, and they are a lovely community.

Unusually, the Framework Knitters Livery Company is based outside the City of London. Their cottages in Oadby house older people connected to the textile industry - if you know of anyone in that situation who needs help, please let them know. They built the cottages in Oadby in the Edwardian era just up from Launde School, and they are stunning. Their little hall is spectacular, too! 

Keep in touch

As ever, you can follow the work I am doing on my Facebook page.  Please do consider forwarding this to anyone living locally, and if I can be of any help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

With best wishes,

Neil O’Brien

Member of Parliament for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston