'Villages are becoming rat-runs and gridlocked with new developments'

LEICESTERSHIRE villages have been left "gridlocked" in the wake of new housing developments, according to a campaign group.

- By JULIA BREENS

They are now calling for a rethink of how traffic is assessed when large housing estates are first proposed in the county.

Villages Together, a coalition of 16 parish councils, has called current traffic assessments "fundamentally flawed".

The assessments are carried out by Leicestershire County Council's highways team but are passed on to the county's borough and district councils, which coordinate planning applications and make the decisions on whether to award approval.

But if the highways team has no objections following such an assessment, borough and district councils have little recourse to refuse approval based on traffic concerns.

The group is claiming developments are being approved "in isolation", without taking account of the "cumulative impact" of other nearby housing schemes.

Councillor Dan Harrison, leader of Leicestershire County Council, has warned there isn't enough funding for the council to completely tackle the effects of population growth on local roads.

Philip Tenwick, the chair of Ratby Parish Council, said: "Our villages are already frequently gridlocked at peak times and have become rat-runs at all hours of the day and night.

"Roads built for horse and cart now carry HGVs, tankers, and tractors, while narrow pavements force pedestrians, wheelchair users, and mobility scooters into the road.