What is the vision for Ashton Green?
Ashton Green has a key role to play in shaping Leicester as Britain’s sustainable city as set out in the ‘One Leicester’ 25 year vision.
It will be a thriving and prosperous new community with a mix of employment and housing opportunities and a dynamic heart created by an innovative new school providing a community learning centre integrated with other community, shopping and small business facilities.
Ashton Green will be a distinctive, safe, green and well connected place designed for people rather than cars. It will provide a driving force behind Leicester having the lowest carbon footprint of any major city in Britain’
What is driving the need for housing growth in Leicester?
The Sustainable Community Plan (One Leicester) has identified a need to deliver housing to accommodate population growth in the City and the East Midlands Regional Plan requires 25,600 homes to be built over the period 2006-2016. This growth will be met through development on both brownfield sites in the Strategic Regeneration Area and greenfield sites like Ashton Green.
What is a sustainable urban extension?
‘Sustainable communities are places where people want to live and work, now and in the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to their environment, and contribute to a high quality of life. They are safe and inclusive, well planned, built and run, and offer equality of opportunity and good services for all.’ [Sustainable Communities Plan 2003]
Ashton Green will contribute towards the One Leicester priorities that have informed the spatial objectives of the Local Development Framework (LDF) Core Strategy. The site for Ashton Green, a 130 hectares of greenfield development land, has been a strategic housing allocation since the mid 1970s and is now being brought forward as a sustainable urban extension for the City.
Why will Ashton Green be different?
There is renewed long term commitment to make Ashton Green a reality, with a clear vision, achievable objectives and a robust delivery plan in preparation. The delivery will require the support of the local community and the many stakeholders and partners. Key to this will be an ongoing process of consultation with the local community that will genuinely influence the delivery of Ashton Green.
A set of guiding principles has informed the development of the masterplan and delivery strategy for Ashton Green.
