Traffic, loss of green space and drainage were among the main issues raised
The entrance to the golf course(Image: Leicester Mercury)
Plans to build 800 homes on a golf course have left residents mourning the loss of a ‘main attraction’ in the area.
Enderby Golf Course could be redeveloped into the new ‘mini-village’ as part of Blaby District Council’s Local Plan. If approved, BDC has said the development would be called Hayes Gardens, and would also include public open space, play areas, community facilities and parkland.
Improvements to local roads are also on the cards, with the council saying the changes could improve connectivity in the area and ease existing congestion.
Those living next to the golf course weren’t so sure. One resident, who chose to remain anonymous, said: “We don’t want it. It’s a truly great, sociable and affordable course. It would be a shame to see it go away as its a main attraction that brings people to this area.”
An aerial photograph of Carlton Park and Enderby Golf Course(Image: Jefferson Air Photography)
David Alexander, who lives on the same road as the green space, shared the view of several others over traffic issues in the area. He said: “Its not going to work very well if it goes forward is it? This road is too busy as it is.”
The 41-year-old added: “Its already hard to get out of the driveway in the morning here with the school and the gym in the area. Its really bad, so will only get worse.”
Helen Akiens raised the same issues with the plans. She said: “If every house has two cars they’ll see potentially 1,600 cars added to the area and its already a nightmare trying to get onto the M1. If you’re trying to get onto the M1 on a Friday these days, just forget about it.”
She also highlighted the issues of overloading local services. “We signed a petition stating that we are not happy with the plans and it’s mainly because of the infrastructure issues. Already you can hardly get an appointment at the doctor or the dentist here, so what will happen when you have another 800 homes accessing the services?”
Mrs Akiens said she was afraid of the effect the new builds would have on the value of her property too.
“You start to worry about your house value, because one of the reasons we bought this place is because of the nice view out back and what will happen if all of it goes away? If we look to sell our property in the next few years, people might also think well why shouldn’t we just take one of the new builds instead.”
Gemma Galleher added that there was an incident in February where water was only a couple of inches away from entering her home. She said: “Our main fear is drainage in the area and I don’t think people are considering it.
“It happened once in February when the water was only a couple of inches off entering our house. So if they take away more of the greenery, I think it would just end up creating more issues with our drainage.”
One of Gemma’s neighbours said they moved to the area in order to get away from the busy city life and the creation of 800 homes would detract from that.
They said: “You move to a village to be part of a smaller community and you leave the city for that reason so this is just really sad if it goes through. We’re seeing less and less greenery around here now and more concrete, which is terrible because people walk their dogs, exercise and use the golf course as a place to get away for a bit. It’s really great to have.”
The local parent also said if these plans are approved, it could open the door to further housing plans in the area.
“Who knows, if these houses go through then there might be another plan to build a further 600 houses just nearby. It’s really not what you want.”
According to BDC, the local plan is expected to be approved in late 2025 and would then be adopted by the council in March 2026.
