Agenda and draft minutes

Bushloe House has planning permission and has been sold. The buyer has asked for a small amendment to the contract for this.

Oadby Pool Site a planning application is imminent for this. The developer that has bought the site expects for this to be this month, and a Section 106 agreement with the County Council is also being discussed. An ecology report concerning the badgers is also underway.

Food waste collections beginning 30 March 2026. A residents queried this scheme as it was previously trialled in the Borough and stopped. The new scheme is central government funded.

Devolution – Cllr. Haq noted that the Government’s consultation on the three submitted plans for Leicestershire is now live and residents are encouraged to complete this. The consultation runs for 6 weeks and the Government will then review. A response is expected by summer recess.

Rain Gardens – Residents are frustrated with the lack of a meeting on this to date. The proposal will be heard again this evening.

Iliffe Park – No update available. M Smith will chase for a further update as residents are frustrated with the lack of information. The Council has approved a new parks strategy, following public consultation, placing a focus on the development of the smaller parks in the Borough.

Sgt Body introduced himself to residents as Local NPA Sgt and gave an overview of crime figures for Oadby. Burglary – in the last 100 days, 2023 – 37 burglaries, CSP funding and Safer Streets items were provided in response  to these figures, 2024 – 16 burglaries, marked difference following previous years’ intervention. 2025 – 10 burglaries. Police actions, patrols, incentives and initiatives appear to be working in relation to burglaries which present as the main public concern. The detection rate for burglaries is unfortunately low, but seasonal sprees are a focus for the Police.

Vehicle Crime – including vehicle interference (stolen plates etc.) through to theft of motor vehicle 2023 – 24, 2024 – 16, 2025 – 18.

Shop Thefts – Dedicated officers have been working across the NPA to collate evidence of shop thefts, with criminal behaviour orders having been issued to some perpetrators, including bans from specific stores in the area.

Cannabis Warrants – A number have been undertaken over the last 6 months, with one house having over 400 plants growing in them. This is approx. £70k worth of cannabis removed from the streets. Sometimes police are criticised for not moving fast enough but there is a strict process that has to be following through evidence gathering, intelligence gathering, and via the courts. Reports can be made through the Police website and crimestoppers.

University of Leicester – Bike Register – Students were having bikes stolen from Halls of Residence. There is a higher chance of registered bikes being returned to their owners if stolen.

eBikes and eScooters – Working with schools around the legality of escooter use, with messages going out via the schools to parents. There are fire risks associated with aftermarket batteries.

School Parking Wardens – Local officers have been out with school parking wardens were possible, this is an action that needs to be balanced against other areas of work. This work will continue.

Social Media – Lots of comments and questions are being asked via social media, or in relation to social media posts. There is a lot of misinformation being shared regarding burglaries, or the same incident being raised multiple times which can inflate the perception of crime.

Speed Cameras – Raised by a resident. Data can be collected via speed guns by PCSOs which is passed to the Road Safety Team. Decisions on local placement sites etc. are not made by local NPA officers.

Oadby Industrial Estate – Car Cruises – Road Safety Team are aware of these and have action plans in place for the cruise dates. Section 59 notices have been issued to some drivers and ANPR cameras are in use by the police. A resident also raised an issue of speeding vehicles on the A6, suspected of racing, which appears to be a weekly occurrence – some of this is linked to the car cruises and the Roads Policing Team are aware. Residents are encouraged to report incident via 101 or the online form to build evidence  ...  view the full minutes text for item 71.

OWBC Local Plan

OWBC housing number has changed from 240 to 389 which must be reflected in the Borough’s local plan. The plan was to be resubmitted for OWBC due to this change. A resident queried what would happen if the Council does not have the land or infrastructure, or developers, available to meet the government targets. The Council is currently assessing if the Borough can meet this need. If the land supply isn’t available other areas will pick up the shortfall. Residents queried if the housing planning will include schools; this was confirmed as yes.

Development Control Committee – Padel Courts, Washbrook Lane

The application is scheduled for the 26 February 2026 meeting. We have speaking rights but best for him to discuss with the committee clerks how these are exercised. Cllr. Haq noted that this may now be March 2026 due to the Lead Planning Officer falling unwell. The Planning Portal will be updated when the application moves forward. A resident noted that he and his wife submitted objections to this plan which never appeared on the website. Cllr. Haq noted that objections are collated into figures, and if multiple objections are received that are similar they are summarised on the application rather than appearing individually. Another resident noted that they are concerned that objections, or letters of support, are being summarised. It was confirmed that all objections are read individually and logged, and that summaries are presented in reports for brevity. The clearance of waste on the site was also raised and Cllr. Ridley updated that officers had visited the site and found nothing buried under the surface when tested – residents are surprised by this as they witnessed materials being buried and provided photographs.

Brocks Hill Toilet Signage

Cllr. Kaufman and a resident both raised this as Jennos are providing public toilets. Cllr. Kaufman will pursue this with relevant Council Officers as it is still believed the toilets should be signposted.

School Parking Issues – Ridge Way, Oadby

LCC operates a camera vehicle which does act as a deterrent, and local Police officers do attend the school as often as possible in relation to other duties and parking issues at other schools. A resident queried the CCTV camera on the Ridge Way and confirmed that it is owned by OWBC and accessible by the Police.

Overgrown and Poorly Maintained Pathways – Hunters Way, Oadby

This was raised in advance of the Forum via email. Privately owned hedges growing into the highway are enforced by LCC Highways. There is an online reporting form for this that can be found via https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/road-maintenance/report-a-road-problem.

Rain Gardens – T Lester

T Lester spoke on the proposed Rain Gardens project for the Parade discussed in October’s meeting of the Forum. The Pride of the Borough Group met with T Lester before Christmas to discuss this, and made introductions to the Washbrook Wombles. Meeting with these groups reinforced the public desire to see green spaces improved and maintained in the Borough. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 73.

None raised.

Thursday, 14 May 2026 – Brocks Hill Council Offices, 18:30

Thursday, 14 May 2026 – 18:30 – Brocks Hill Council Offices

1.     M Smith to seek a further update on Iliffe Park works.

2.     Cllr. Kaufman to seek an update on toilet signage for Brocks Hill.

3.     M Smith to include the LCC Highways reporting form in the Minutes of this meeting.

4.     M Smith to coordinate with noted Members and Officers to arrange a meeting with T Lester to discuss the rain garden proposal.