Agenda and draft minutes

Page 6: Bluebell Lane should be Bluebell Close.

Sgt. Body attended the Forum and provided a quick update to residents on recent crime figures. There have been 2 burglaries in the Borough since the start of the year, with the low number likely linked to the Safer Streets work undertaken in the Borough with the Community Safety Partnership. There has been 8 vehicle related crimes reported such as theft of number plates etc.

Residents raised eScooters as an ongoing concern in the Borough, and what the policy is in relation to their use. eScooters remain illegal to ride on public land or the highway, and can only legally be used on private land with the landowners consent. The action taken by Leicestershire Police in Leicester City Centre was also referenced, asking if it was really necessary to seize eScooters and eBikes. eScooters are not road legal as they cannot be licenced or insured; insurance cannot be taken out for them as they are not a registered vehicle, but are classed as a vehicle as they are mechanically propelled. eScooters can only be used on public land in areas where an established scheme is in place such as Nottingham. Some eBikes are classed as legal up to a certain speed or wattage, and must be ‘pedal assist’.

Abandoned car on the Morwoods raised by residents – reported to the Council, with a notice placed on the vehicle by OWBC stating it was being investigated. The car moved on the day the notice was issued, but was moved to one of the one hour parking bays where it has remained since. No tickets appear to have been issued to date on this. This is indicative of how often parking is being checked by Civil Enforcement Officers in the Borough.

Churchill Close, to the rear of the urgent care centre – Cars were parked on the grass here and were seen to be being issued with tickets. The grass is churned up here seemingly be residents in the flats parking vehicles here. Is this land County Council owned?

Oadby & Wigston Local Plan

The government, just before Christmas, changed the housing targets for the Borough which meant new build properties grew from 249 (including LCC overspill) up to 388 properties to be built per year. These 388 are just for OWBC and do not include any LCC properties. If the difference between the two numbers was less than 100 properties the current Local Plan could continue, as the difference is greater for OWBC a new Local Plan is required. The government noted that although the Council was in the advanced stages of the Local Plan for 249 hours per year, specifically infrastructure requirements, a new Local Plan assessing requirements for the 288 properties needed to be created. This will be open to public consultation as per the previous plan. There is a concern that the Borough will run out of the space required to keep up with this building rate, and may need to declare its own unmet housing need for other neighbouring Councils to pick up. Residents were encouraged to engage with all public consultation on the Local Plan as and when the opportunity to do so arises.

Residents queried if there will be any pressure put on developers of new properties under the Local Plan to be ecofriendly and last at least 50 years. National Planning Policy is the main guidance for this that the Planning Team can insist upon in terms of ecofriendly / sustainable developments. There is a risk that if the instance of the Planning Team is too great a development may be considered unviable, and not built which would mean the housing target may be missed.

A resident queried if the Local Plan on the Council’s website is current given the above information as residents are still be consulted on it. Feedback gathered on the plan contained on the website still stands and will be taken into account in the development of the new Local Plan. Consultation on the new Local Plan is likely to not be as extensive as the previous plan given the 18-month deadline set by the government.

Residents requested an update be provided on the Council’s website featuring key milestones around the development of a new Local Plan. Frequent updates, in the form of ‘short and sharp’ statements, regarding the Local Plan would also enable greater residents involvement.

A request was made for the key dates in relation to the consultation over the Local Plan to be shared. These can be shared via the Forum mailing list once available but should also be included in wider Comms work by the Council. The Planning Team are thought by residents to keep a database of residents who have expressed an interest in receiving planning update via email.

Some residents from the Stoughton Road area note that they feel that they are more affected by the Harborough Local Plan, and asked if there is a mechanism in place that allowed Harborough to consult Oadby & Wigston residents on their plan. It is unclear  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

Flooding

Flood questions to be noted here in the Minutes if available by publication and answered for the following meeting of the Forum. OWBC works closely with LCC and provides information and support to them as required under flooding.

Residents raised concerns of the impact of building works on flooding in the area; residents are concerned that any water entering the Washbrook from those developments will cause more flooding.

OWBC has, alongside other Leicestershire Councils, written to the government asking for more funding support to address flooding responses and prevention. Additional powers have also been requested to include flooding as a concern within planning applications, and looking at the inclusion of proper flood defences. Letters were sent in January and February. OWBC’s Planning Team have confirmed that at present they don’t have any powers to address flooding on existing developers, but can ask new developments to take flooding into account. The County Council has also been lobbied to clear the drains, with £500,000 allocated by them to do so more often, reducing the risk of flash flooding. The County Council has also made a pot of funding available for access to flooding support and prevention resources.

Insurance quotes are usually higher for properties that have experienced flooding, creating a cycle when flooding reoccurs. This is something the government has also been lobbied over.

Could the planning authority insist that all new build properties have water retention measures installed alongside soakaways as a means to reduce flooding? The ask can be made of new builds but cannot be insisted upon. Residents have noted that they are losing confidence on how the Council addresses flooding when worsened by new building developments.

Cllr. Kaufman noted that he had been emailed a 50 page report on flooding compiled by residents in Oadby. This report was noted as being very helpful, and an ask was made as to where it would end up. The report focused on flooding around the Washbrook and the Mulberry Home developments within the Washbrook catchment area. The report is a “marker in the sand” as to the current state of the catchment area. Other residents have noticed that land within this area is now being farmed differently, with cereal more frequently in rotation, leaving more surface water running off of the field. All riparian landowners along the Washbrook were consulted and all have noted that the water is running faster and higher. The report has been sent to the Local Lead Flood Authority, local Councillors, the MP, and other bodies with a stake in the welfare and wellbeing of residents that live along the Washbrook. Around 20 properties flooding in January 2025, which was less than the previous year. Any developments on the fields within the catchment area need to have significant flooding defences included. The report has been passed by Councillors to the Council’s Planning Team.

A query was raised as to whether the Council monitors the level of the Washbrook. A resident noted that there is a flow  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

Updates from Oadby Traders re. their events were requested for future Forums.

The date of the next meeting remains to be confirmed as it will fall inside the new financial year.