REMOVE SITE D2 & PROTECT THE HOBNEYS
Protect, Restore & Rewild The Hobneys, Donisthorpe
Petition to North West Leicestershire District Council

We, the undersigned, ask North West Leicestershire District Council to remove Site D2 at Chapel Street / Acresford Road, Donisthorpe, locally known as The Hobneys, from consideration for housing.

Instead, we ask the Council to assess The Hobneys for Local Green Space designation and, if it meets the national criteria, protect it through the North West Leicestershire Local Plan.

We want a different future for this land: protect it, restore it and allow nature to recover.

Why protect The Hobneys?
The Hobneys are one of the remaining substantial areas of open countryside immediately adjoining Donisthorpe.

The landscape includes fields, mature hedgerows, trees, woodland edges, ponds and wet areas. Together they provide wildlife habitat, ecological connections and an important transition between the village and open countryside.

The Hobneys have also been part of village life for generations. Residents value them for wildlife, walking, recreation, history, tranquillity, open views and their connection with Donisthorpe’s identity. 

We have extensive evidence showing that The Hobneys have been used and enjoyed for informal recreation by successive generations of Donisthorpe residents. This includes walking, childhood play, sledging, community activities, photography and the quiet enjoyment of the countryside. These long-established associations demonstrate that the land is special to the community and has particular recreational, historic, visual and cultural significance.

The view across The Hobneys is also widely recognised and valued locally. We have photographs, personal accounts and other evidence documenting its importance over several generations. We therefore ask NWLDC to assess and recognise it as a Locally Noted Viewpoint within the Local Plan and its supporting landscape evidence.

The Local Plan should be based on proportionate evidence and properly reflect Donisthorpe’s distinctive landscape and locally valued views. The omission of this well-documented viewpoint must be reconsidered and transparently justified. Where the evidence supports its recognition, the Local Plan should be amended to protect both the viewpoint and the landscape that makes the view possible.

Once this countryside is developed, it cannot realistically be recreated. 

Local Green Space
Donisthorpe does not currently have a made Neighbourhood Plan, so we do not believe Local Green Space protection should simply be deferred to a future Neighbourhood Plan while decisions about development are being made now.

Local Green Space can also be designated through a Local Plan.

We therefore ask NWLDC to assess The Hobneys against the national criteria and, where those criteria are met, include its designation and protection within the Local Plan.

If The Hobneys can be considered for development through the Local Plan, their protection should be considered through it too.

Hooborough Brook
The Hobneys drain towards Hooborough Brook, which the Environment Agency records as having Poor ecological status, with fish also classified as Poor.

Before adding more development and hard surfaces within this landscape, we believe its potential role in water management and nature recovery should be properly investigated.

Restoring ponds, wetlands, grassland and hedgerows could potentially help hold and slow water, improve wildlife habitat and support the recovery and resilience of Hooborough Brook and its wider catchment.

Can local infrastructure cope?
Donisthorpe already has limited services and no general village shop, meaning residents rely heavily on surrounding settlements.

Further major development would create additional demand upon:

doctors and healthcare;
schools;
sewerage and wastewater infrastructure;
drainage;
roads and junctions;
public transport; and
other local services.
It would also mean more vehicle movements through roads including Chapel Street and Acresford Road.

Before further major housing development is allocated, we ask the Council to demonstrate that local infrastructure has the capacity to support it and to consider the cumulative effect of development across the area.

Our alternative: restore The Hobneys
We are not asking for the land simply to be left and forgotten.

We would like the Council, landowners and community to think about a Hobneys Nature Recovery and Wetland Project.

This could include:

restoring ponds and wetlands;
wildflower and species-rich grassland;
restoring hedgerows;
protecting mature trees;
improving wildlife corridors;
natural water-retention measures;
habitat for birds, bats, amphibians, insects and other wildlife; and
community environmental education and citizen science.
The aim is simple:

Keep The Hobneys as countryside and make it even better for nature.

We are willing to help
There are residents willing to donate their time and skills to conservation, habitat restoration, wildlife recording and citizen science.

This includes people studying environmental science, who could volunteer alongside qualified professionals and environmental organisations.

We would also approach local and regional businesses and larger employers about funding, sponsorship, materials and corporate volunteering.

Environmental grants and other funding could also be explored so that the project would not have to rely solely on public money.

Protecting and restoring the landscape could also contribute locally towards wider ambitions for nature recovery, biodiversity, healthier waterways, access to nature and the national 30by30 goal of effectively conserving and managing 30% of land for nature by 2030.

An opportunity to work with developers
We would also welcome developers and landowners being part of the solution.

Communities can understandably view development negatively when they feel valued countryside is continually being lost.

Supporting the protection or restoration of The Hobneys would give those involved an opportunity to demonstrate that development can also be about listening to communities, recognising when a place has particular value and giving something meaningful back.

Funding, expertise, land, practical assistance or partnership could all make a difference.

Rather than being remembered for the countryside that was lost, there is an opportunity to be remembered for helping a community protect and restore something it values.

We would welcome that partnership.

What we are asking NWLDC to do
We ask North West Leicestershire District Council to:

• Remove Site D2 from consideration for housing and reject its allocation for residential development.
• asses and recognise The Hobneys it as a Locally Noted Viewpoint within the Local Plan and its supporting landscape evidence.
• Assess The Hobneys for Local Green Space designation and, where the national criteria are met, protect it through the North West Leicestershire Local Plan.
• Consider the cumulative pressure further development would place on roads, healthcare, schools, sewerage, drainage, public transport and other services.
• Consider the condition of Hooborough Brook and the potential impact of further development within its catchment.
• Work with residents, landowners, environmental organisations, businesses and developers to investigate a Hobneys Nature Recovery and Wetland Project.
• Explore opportunities for the long-term protection, restoration and rewilding of The Hobneys.
  The Hobneys are not empty land waiting for a purpose.

They are already countryside, wildlife habitat, part of our water catchment and part of Donisthorpe’s identity.

NWLDC - Leave a lasting legacy, one to be proud of.

We believe there is a better future for this landscape.

REMOVE SITE D2.

PROTECT THE HOBNEYS AS LOCAL GREEN SPACE.

RESTORE IT. REWILD IT.

LEAVE DONISTHORPE WITH ROOM TO BREATHE.