APRIL 2024 GROBY SPOTLIGHT online

8
Groby & Field Head Spotlight • MID-APRIL 2024 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@grobyspotlight.co.uk
Approval of new
homes in Ratby
may mean more
traffic in Groby
WHEN BOROUGH Council members went against
the advice of planning officers, and refused an
outline planning application for a development of
225 houses in Ratby, they hoped that any planning appeal
would support their decision.
But the Planning Inspector has reversed the decision, and the new
homes can be built on Desford Lane, between the sports ground and the
Stonecraft Paving site, despite the application being widely opposed. In
addition to Ratby Parish Council and many residents, objections were
received from Kirby Muxloe Parish Council and Blaby District Council.
The development is likely to have an adverse impact on Groby, with
increased traffic on Sacheverell Way. But worse will be the impact on
homes in the Martinshaw Lane and Forest Rise area, as Ratby Primary
School cannot be extended. Some or all of the additional pupils resulting
from the new homes on Desford Lane may need to enrol at Martinshaw
School in Groby.
Ratby a Key Rural Centre
Guy Davies, the Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State,
considered all the issues raised and noted that Ratby is classed as a Key
Rural Centre because it contains a primary school, other services and a 6
day a week bus service. “This makes it a place where residents can fulfil
their daily needs without having to travel long distances into urban areas,”
he said.
However, the projected shortfall in primary school places will increase
traffic levels and impact adversely on Groby, as more parents travel from
Ratby to drop children off in the morning and sit and wait in their cars at the
end of the school day. Public transport links are inconvenient and walking
from Ratby is not practical for many parents.
“I heard evidence from interested parties that Ratby has expanded rapidly
in recent decades and that has put strain on local facilities, in particular the
primary school and increased traffic on the roads,” Guy Davies said in his
decision notice. He went on to say that it is up to service providers such as
the County Council to make appropriate provision, rather than restraints
being put on new housing.
No objection from County Council
“In this case, no objection to the scheme has been raised by service
providers, including the County Council in its roles as Highway Authority
and Education Authority.” He also said that it is a matter for service
providers to respond to new development “by providing improvements or
additional capacity where necessary, rather than existing capacity being
seen as a limiting factor on development, unless such improvements or
additional capacity are not possible.”
Developers wanting permission to build may be expected to make a
contribution towards the financial impact on local infrastructure and in this
case a very large sum will be payable towards education costs. However,
no contribution is required from the developer for Ratby Primary School.
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Fewer babies coming
FOR THE FIRST
time since the Black
Death killed about
50 million people in
the mid-1300s, the
world’s population is
going to decline.
According to experts,
global fertility rates have
hit an historic tipping
point, and seem unlikely
to recover. Millions of
women are simply having less children.
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All COVID Guidelines Adhered To.
The global population currently stands at just over eight billion. But in the
coming decades, as the older people die and fewer babies are born, this
figure will fall.
Women need to have an average of 2.1 children each, for the population
growth to remain static. Worldwide, in 1950 it was at 4.84. By 2021 it was
at 2.23. It is predicted to fall to 1.83 by 2050. The UK, like other highincome
countries, has a lower-than-average fertility rate, at just 1.49 in
2021. It is expected to fall to 1.38 by 2050.
This will mean that our population of about 67 million will become
increasingly old. And this will have a huge impact on our national finances,
as the old will put pressure on the health services, while there will be fewer
young people in work, keeping the economy going.
Having a dog is good for you
RECENT scientific research has found evidence that having
a dog is good for you.
“Science is finally catching up with what humans have intuitively known for
thousands of years.” So says Professor Emeritus Aubrey Fine of Cal Poly
University, a paediatric clinical psychologist.
A recent study at Konkuk University in Korea found that participants’
alpha-band brain waves increased while playing and walking with dogs,
while their beta-band brain waves increased while grooming, massaging,
or playing with dogs. All participants were left feeling “less fatigued,
depressed and stressed”.
In one American academic journal, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality
and Outcomes, a study found that, overall, dog owners have a 24 per cent
decreased risk of all-cause mortality, and that that percentage rises to 31
per cent for cardiovascular-related issues.
According to Tommy Wood, assistant professor of paediatrics and
neuroscience at the University of Washington School of Medicine, dogs
“support our health and wellbeing in many ways.”
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My wife says we should split up because I keep pretending I’m a detective. I said good idea, we can cover more ground that way.