Blaby District’s community at New Lubbesthorpe is celebrating a whole series of major milestones.
Construction is starting on the first local centre with work already underway on the 66-bedroom care home which will feature in the mixed-use scheme.
Progress on the centre’s two-storey building, which will house a Sainsbury’s Local store, three additional retail units, a café and bistro and GP surgery, is expected to begin within weeks.
Both are scheduled to be finished by next spring, completing the Tay Road feature square which includes New Lubbesthorpe Primary School.
Developers have also reported a major residency achievement – as at the end of December some 1,022 homes were occupied. And one of the partners, Davidsons Homes, has begun work on the next 163 properties as part of Phase 2 of the scheme.
Another developer, David Wilson Homes, recently received planning permission to install solar panels on its houses – the first advance of its kind at New Lubbesthorpe.
Other sustainable features making a difference to the community are dedicated bus services – NovusDirect, running into Leicester city and NovusFosse which journeys to Fosse Park.
The popularity of NovusDirect has seen the number of buses on the route increase from two to three, running up to every 20 minutes on weekdays. Residents are also able to rent a car through the Enterprise Car Club. These initiatives are coordinated by GO Travel Solutions and funded by landowners, the Drummond Estate.
The very latest development approved is the restoration and conversion of the historic but derelict Abbey Farm. Old buildings on the site, which would otherwise have fallen into further decay, will be transformed into homes and offices.
Councillor Ben Taylor, Blaby District Council Portfolio Holder for Planning Delivery and Enforcement and Corporate Transformation, said: “It’s exciting to see the progress being made at New Lubbesthorpe with all these milestones being achieved. I’m sure residents are delighted work is commencing on the new local centre. It will be a most welcome addition.
“With new homes under construction it’s fantastic to see the neighbourhood growing and evolving. We now have more than 1,000 homes occupied and people report a real sense of community. Clubs and groups are thriving and residents enjoy social activities and events as well as sustainable travel options.”
New Lubbesthorpe will eventually feature more than 4,000 new homes and is being developed in phases over two decades. Ground was broken in 2015 and the first families took residence in 2017.
