A bid to increase the number of homes in a small Leicestershire village by 25 per cent was not approved, before officials quickly changed their mind.

Original plans for 35 homes on land at Uppingham Road in Billesdon were approved in 2022, but developer Hazelton Homes (Midlands) Ltd returned to officials at Harborough District Council (HDC) last year with a new bid to increase the number of homes to 44 – a 25 per cent increase.

These revised plans – which looked to vary the layout of the homes too – went before HDC's planning committee this month, with officials set to recommend the increase for approval.

However, committee members were not convinced, and initially voted against approving the plans before then changing their mind and calling on the developer to look again by deferring a decision.

Councillor Sindy Modha, of the Billesdon and Tilton ward, told the meeting she didn't think she would be able to live with herself or sleep soundly if there was a fatality due to traffic concerns associated with the scheme.

Officers said that the outline permission – to give approval in principle – was granted for the site just to the north of the village and south of the A47 in 2018. Development had already started on site, officers explained.

Documents show that alongside the 44 homes, plans include 10 different house types, with site access from Uppingham Road.

The road layout had been amended to accommodate the extra homes, plans added, including more cul-de-sacs on the north of the site.

Describing why the plans had changed, Lee Staniforth, the agent speaking on behalf of the developer at the meeting said: "The market has changed since the original approval back in 2018 to 2022.

"Demand for large four and five-bedroom homes has weakened. What buyers actually want is two and three-bedroom homes.

"The revised mix is a closer fit to the housing needs assessment than the original consented scheme.

"Although dwellings proposed increase from 35 to 44, these homes are smaller, so the overall built floor area is broadly the same as the approved scheme.

"The lead local flood authority [..] supports the application, highways have withdrawn their objection with detailed matters handled through the Section 27A process.

"All statutory consultees are resolved."

Cllr Modha raised a number of issues at the meeting. Referring to the agent's use of words, she repeated that the site was a "tricky" site, and said she agreed with the agent's words that deliverability was tight.

She said she "respectfully disagreed" with the statutory consultees, adding: "I don't understand how if cars are parked up, how a refuse vehicle or an emergency vehicle is going to get into that site, because as we know, we may all have car parking facilities outside our house and garages, but no one actually cares to use them, and they park all over the place.

"And my main concern would be if anything was to happen on that site, and there was a problem getting in.

"I don't think I'd be able to live with myself or sleep soundly knowing that that will be proving something that may lead to a fatality like that."

Cllr Modha also spoke about "horrendous" issues with flooding in the area, and concerns around the non-adoption of the road, saying: "I don't know, but I just feel that it is a 25 per cent increase from 35 to 44.

"I just feel it's asking quite a lot from my residents who have been absolutely amazing up to now and being very sort of lenient with what's going on and what is going on up there."

Initially, councillors voted against approval of the plans by seven votes to two, but immediately after the vote and before it was carried, Cllr Simon Galton suggested that the meeting defer the decision for discussion at a later date.

This was carried, with eight votes in favour and one against, amongst the nine councillors.

Officers agreed, suggesting there were three issues to be looked at, including highways and safety, drainage, including seeking the local flood authority's advice and section 106 monies.