Homes plan for Hermitage Leisure Centre land emerges as 600 houses a year 'need to be built'

Houses look set to replace the now-demolished Hermitage Leisure Centre despite calls to turn the site into a community venue. Council bosses have eyed up the vacant land near Coalville as one of many sites for development as hundreds of homes a year are needed in the area.

The former leisure centre, which stood in Whitwick’s Silver Street, was demolished a year ago after officials on North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) deemed the venue “no longer fit for purpose”. The fate of the land had remained uncertain ever since, but new proposals to turn it into housing have emerged as part of the council’s Local Plan.

The documents, which are currently out to public consultation, propose “approximately” 32 houses in place of the former leisure centre, with access maintained off Silver Street. The plan is the latest chapter in the ongoing controversy surrounding the Hermitage Leisure Centre’s demolition, with many groups vocal in their opposition to the move.

However, council officials defended their decision saying the site, which had been in place since the 1980s, needed around £2 million in investment to bring it up to standard. The leisure centre was subsequently replaced by the multi-million Coalville and Whitwick Leisure Centre, with the land between the two sites – the Hermitage Recreation Ground – now set to become an eco park.

If approved, the Hermitage Leisure Centre homes would also come with a new footpath and tree planting as well as landscaping that is “in keeping” with the National Forest surrounding it. The homes would meet just a small fraction of North West Leicestershire’s housing needs though.

Last month, the authority revealed that it needs approximately 13,270 new homes by 2040 – that’s the equivalent of 686 homes every year. The Local Plan shows that the Coalville area and its surrounding villages take on much of the bulk of this identified land, while Castle Donington and the new settlement near East Midlands Airport are central to the increase in housing too.

Overhead view of proposed site for hundreds of homes between Swannington and Whitwick

The former Hermitage Leisure Centre is not the only piece of land in Whitwick identified by officials either. Local Plan documents show that there is the “potential” for 500 homes on land west of Church Lane. NWLDC says it will work with “various landowners” to explore development potential here.

A further 283 homes are also proposed on land next to Spring Lane in Swannington, which is opposite SMB College in Coalville and borders Whitwick village itself. This, NWLDC says, would be designed to “respect the nearby properties” in Thornborough Road as part of the consultation.

Residents’ views on these plans as well as other housing plans in North West Leicestershire are now sought. Speaking previously, Councillor Keith Merrie, NWLDC’s portfolio holder for infrastructure, said: “Our draft Local Plan provides the blueprint for how our district will respond to an increasing population until 2040, so it’s important we understand what residents, businesses and stakeholders think of those plans.

“Our draft plan includes where we think housing should go, where employment land should be allocated and the policies and standards we expect developers to meet. Our consultation is a formal part of developing our plan, and really will help shape the future of the district.”

More information on the housing plans can be found on NWLDC’s website, where details on how to respond to the consultation can be sent. The deadline to reply is 11:59pm on Sunday, March 17.