One area off the A511 route could see around 950 extra homes built in a move that would narrow the gap between Coalville and Whitwick.

If that goes ahead, documents show that some 700 houses could be constructed off Stephenson Way, at the edge of Coalville.

The remaining 250 would be located off Hall Lane and Torrington Avenue, in Whitwick.

The leftover green space between them would be protected from development "in perpetuity" as a condition of any development taking place there, council documents state.

The sites are being considered as part of North West Leicestershire District Council's (NWLDC) Local Plan process, announced last week, with the authority saying it needs to allocate space for 7,147 homes to be built over the lifespan of the plan.

There is currently not enough land earmarked to achieve this or meet employment need, the council added.

As a result, additional allocations are needed. Some 13 new housing sites have been put forward by the authority, with another being considered for employment.

These sites would provide 1,927 of the additional 1,934 homes required, and around seven hectares of the around 19 hectare of employment space needed to bridge the gap.

A further two sites have been earmarked as "reserve" housing sites, meaning they will only be brought forward if certain conditions are met.

Meanwhile, three housing sites previously being considered have now been removed from the draft plan, and seven sites have seen their size either increased or reduced. A full breakdown of the changes can be found below.

NWLDC is also calling for people to put forward additional sites for employment need, with between around 12 hectares still needing to be found.

It also wants suggestions for where new truck stops could be created, with the council saying it currently has the "most pressing HGV parking issues in England".

This means there is "intensive use of existing facilities and a high incidence of off-site parking", documents added.

NWLDC is now consulting on the proposed changes to its draft Local Plan, with residents able to have their say until Friday, May 2.

The full proposals are available to view online via the authority's Local Plan review page. It will use these to help it draw up its final draft of the Local Plan, which will then be subject to a final round of consultation before being submitted to Government planning inspectors for examination