Hayes Gardens A vision for a
new community

Yes. Like other councils, Blaby District Council is required to identify land for new homes. It is important that we create the new homes that are required to meet the needs of our ever-growing population.

The Hayes Gardens site covers an area of 57 hectares (141 acres). Santander owns 42.5 hectares (105 acres) of this. Blaby District Council owns 14.5 hectares (36 acres) of Enderby Golf Course, the remaining 5.4 hectares (13 acres) of the course is owned by Santander but leased to Blaby District Council.

This proposal is in the very early stages. We’re working to have the site included in the Local Plan, which we don’t expect to be adopted until March 2026.

There are no immediate plans to close the golf course. If the site is included within the Local Plan, future planning applications would be subject to further consultation. Enderby Golf Course is one of five in the district, with many others within a short drive.

Giving the community access to high-quality green spaces is integral to the draft vision for Hayes Gardens. We hope to create a range of spaces that can be enjoyed by new and existing residents.

Part of the site is designated as Green Wedge in the current Local Plan. As part of the new Local Plan process there will be a comprehensive review of green wedge sites. Retaining green wedge is important but must be balanced with the pressing need for housing.

Ensuring that the development is sensitive to the surrounding environment will be fundamental to our collaborative approach. We will work to ensure that the proposed vision is designed in a way to support the existing environment, delivering a net gain to biodiversity levels. We want local communities to be able to enjoy and benefit from natural, high quality green spaces.

A broad range of enhancements could be integrated with the vision, such as the creation of new wildlife corridors and habitats, supporting existing wildlife populations and providing substantial new planting. Where possible, we will retain significant areas of the landscape and features such as trees, woodland and hedgerows.

Office buildings 1 to 5, occupied by Santander, Watches of Switzerland and Honeywell, will remain operational as part of the proposals. Other buildings, such as the David Lloyd gym, Busy Bees nursery, data centres, and ambulance depot are not included within the boundaries of the proposals and will therefore remain operational.

Blaby District Council and Santander are investigating the potential to secure an allocation in the new Blaby Local Plan. If the site is allocated, planning applications will then be submitted. The landowners are committed to working alongside local residents, stakeholders, businesses and other organisations to co-create a great place to live. Any future planning applications will be subject to separate public consultations.

Blaby District Council, as the Local Planning Authority, can consider applications for land that it owns or has an interest in. These applications will always be considered by Planning Committee, and follow the same decision-making process as all applications.

The proposed development could help through the possible creation of a new vehicle access route to Enderby Leisure Centre from the Carlton Park entrance on the B4114, providing a more convenient route for visitors. This could also create more direct cycling and walking routes to the leisure centre, lessening the traffic using Mill Lane and surrounding streets.

Where possible, the feedback we have received will be used to help shape the vision for Hayes Gardens.

The proposal is in the very early stages. As part of the work to prepare a new Local Plan, the District Council engages with various organisations, including healthcare and education providers to evaluate the current capacity of facilities within the area.

Should the providers indicate there is a need for additional capacity due to the potential development, the responsibility lies with landowners to provide any facilities that are needed to mitigate the impact of the development and meet any needs the development generates.