Residents of an area of Hugglescote where people have complained about noise, dust and mud from the building of a nearby housing development have been told the situation is being monitored.

The building work being carried out off Highfield Street, is having an impact on those living close to the site, councillors were told this week.

A residents representative spoke at North West Leicestershire District Council's full council meeting in Coalville this week and addressed her grievances to Planning Portfolio Holder, Cllr Tony Saffell.

The issue of trees being pulled down in the area was also highlighted.

She asked: "Residents in the area of the development, off Highfield Street, are experiencing not only an intrusive level of noise, but thick red dust on their properties, mud on the roads and now, yet again, the cutting down of trees in a Tree Preservation Order area. 

"Is the council aware of the impact this development is having on residents and the environment?" 

Cllr Saffell said: "I can confirm that the council is aware of concerns raised about the impact this development is having on residents and the environment. 

"Unfortunately, the planning system does not have powers to prevent new developments from having no impact at all on neighbouring occupiers, and as such, it is an inevitable consequence that some impact during the construction phase should be expected. 

"However, the Council's Planning Enforcement team have been monitoring the situation in relation to the development off Highfields Street and have actively been visiting the site to check that the developer is complying with their planning conditions. 

"The planning permission is subject to a construction management plan condition which seeks to reduce any adverse impacts on residents and having assessed the situation on site, the Planning Enforcement Officer has advised that the developer is complying with its terms as approved. 

"The Planning Enforcement Team will continue to monitor the site to make the developer is aware of their continuing requirements to ensure that the construction of the development on this site has minimal impact on local residents."

The development caused concern last year when the 400-home development - North of Standard Hill and east of Highfield Street - was originally only intended to have 97 homes being accessed from Highfield Street, but now there will be 150.

Cllr Saffell also addressed the issue of trees being pulled down.

He added: "In terms of trees removed that are protected by a Tree Preservation Order, this was permitted by the granting of the planning permission for the Lovell Development. The trees were protected via a group order (so not TPO'd individually) and when the Lovell planning application was submitted, the developer submitted a detailed tree report to justify the works they were proposing on that part of the site. 

"This was carefully considered by the Council's Tree Officer as part of the consideration of the application, and it was agreed that some of trees in the group order could be removed as individually they weren't worthy of protection. It was also considered that the trees removal would not harm the status of the group order which still seeks to protect the remainder of the trees on site for the collective contribution that the group makes to the visual appearance of the area. 

"To clarify further, the granting of a planning permission for development, as in this case, supersedes the requirements of a Tree Preservation Order and the works that have been carried out on site are in line with that agreed in the planning permission for the development of housing on the site."