Thorpebury Development FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions for the Thorpebury development can be found below:

Will there be affordable housing on the site?

25% of dwellings on the site will be affordable. These will be a mix of housing types, (including extra care units),  and a mix of sizes. They will be distributed across the site as a whole.

Who will look after the public spaces/buildings?

A management company will be set up by the owners of the site that will look after the greenspaces and community facilities across the site. 

The details of how this will operate and how it will be funded have not yet been finalised but the management arrangements have to be submitted to and formally approved by the Borough Council. 

Once these details have been agreed the owner must set the management company up but, until this happens, management of the public areas remains the responsibility of the owner of the site. It is likely that the management company will be funded, at least in part, by way of a service charge that residents of the new development pay.

When will the development Start?

It is anticipated that development will commence early in 2020 with site clearance and ground levelling. As there are separate access points into the development areas; the three house builders, working on phase 1, will all be able to build alongside one another.

First completions are anticipated from mid-2020 onwards and it is hoped that at least 200 homes a year will be built. Some other key timescales include:

• Completion of first form of primary school 1 before 500 houses are occupied
• Completion of the Southern Access Road before 575 dwellings are occupied
• Completion of primary school 1 before 1,200 houses are occupied
• Completion of community hub before 1,500 dwellings occupied
• Completion of destination park before 1,500 dwellings occupied
• Completion of healthcare facility before 1,725 dwellings occupied
• Completion of provision for 900 secondary age pupils at Roundhill Academy if it is is relocated OR completion of a 450 pupil entry extension at Roundhill Academy OR completion of provision of a new 450 pupil new secondary school before 2,000 dwellings occupied
• Completion of first form of primary school 2 before 2,300 dwellings occupied
• Northern Link road completed before 2355 dwellings occupied
• Completion of 2^nd form of primary school 2 before 3,200 dwellings occupied
• Completion of provision for 300 secondary age pupils at Roundhill if it is relocated OR at a new secondary school before 3,500 dwellings occupied
• Completion of primary school 3 before 4,000 dwellings occupied

How will primary schools be dealt with?

There are up to three new primary schools within the developmentproviding five forms of entry. These will either be built by the developer of the site or using money from the developer by the County Council. The legal agreement states that the schools must be provided in a phased way before set  numbers of the houses are occupied. 

During construction the building programme for the schools can be reviewed to reflect pupil numbers within limits set out in the legal agreement. This review is carried out by a group that meets regularly and includes representatives from the Education Authority, developer and Charnwood. This is to make sure that enough spaces are provided but that they are not provided so early that they have to be used for families outside the development.  

How will secondary schools be dealt with?

There are three options for dealing with secondary school needs generated by the development. These are:

• Relocating the current Roundhill Academy into the northern part of the site with a capacity for 1200 pupils OR
• Extending the current Roundhill Academy to allow capacity for a further 450 pupils OR
• Building a new secondary school  more centrally within the site for 750 pupils

The relocation of Roundhill Academy is the preferred option. All three options may either be built by the developer of the site or by the County Council upon receipt of a payment from the developer.

Where will the Northern Access Road be?

Currently, although a corridor of land is reserved for the northern access road,  the exact route and design of this has not been agreed.  As this route will most likely affect playing fields and pitches in the area the developer has to agree a strategy for replacement of these facilities with the Council before commencement of any road construction work. There are also several options for secondary school provision (see above) which may change the location and amount of land that is available for the road.

Who are the developers?

At present the developer of the open space, drainage and roads is the landowner and  Commercial Estates Group. However, within phase one, three individual house builders are developing separate areas of housing. These are William Davis Homes, David Wilson Homes and Davidsons Developments.

Contacts

As the project progresses important contact details will be added here. At present the Case Officer at Charnwood Borough Council can be contacted at Thorpebury@charnwood.gov.uk.

Commercial Estates Group (CEG) are the developers and they can be contacted at thorpebury@ceg.co.uk.