Plans to build 10,000 homes near Twycross Zoo scrapped

Plans to create a new town near Twycross have been thrown out after a campaign by local residents and land owners.

The site, named Norton Heath, was a proposal included in the draft Local Plan which outlines sites for future development. 

When the proposal was announced in 2025, residents and landowners formed an opposition group against the proposals. 

At a meeting of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council on Tuesday (14th April 2026) the leader of the Council made a statement: 

"I can confirm that I have requested officers remove the development of a new settlement, promoted as Norton Heath and located close to Norton Juxta Twycross, from the emerging Local Plan. Norton Heath was put forward by developers as part of the Regulation 18 draft Local Plan consultation in autumn 2025, as a proposal for a new settlement of up to 10,000 dwellings. The decision to not pursue the site follows a review of the responses received from local residents and statutory consultees, including Natural England and National Highways, together with a change in the proposed boundaries of the new settlement since the Regulation 18 consultation, and the developing Local Plan evidence bases, all of which do not support the inclusion. I would like to thank all the people who responded to the consultation and to the planning policy team who have diligently gone through all the responses. The Local Plan will now progress to the next round of public consultation, know as Regulation 19 consultation, this summer, before being submitted to the government for examination later this year. The Regulation 19 Local Plan will build on the past two Regulation 18 consultations, in summer 2024 and autumn 2025, and will include a Council resolution prior to consultation. Members will be kept informed of progress through member working group briefings from officers.

The site has been included in the Hinckley and Bosworth Local Plan.

Headley Benn, Chair of the Opposition Group, said: “A development of this magnitude would have catastrophic consequences for the local community and environment, yet the six-week consultation period is grossly inadequate for public scrutiny, meaningful questions, and proper expression of concerns. There are compelling arguments against the viability of this scheme, and with the support of legal and subject matter experts, we are rigorously gathering evidence to formally challenge this reckless proposal. We urge everybody to join us in demanding a fair process and defending our precious countryside from unreasonable and ill-conceived proposals.”

A public consultation about the development Local Plan ended on Friday, 28th November 2025.