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Plans to create a new community in Leicester have received enthusiastic backing from the public. Leicester Regeneration Company and Leicester City Council have released the results from the public consultation on proposals to realise the great potential of the St George’s area to offer the city an area where people can live, work and play. Proposals recommended a new city centre community in the Lee Circle area to include housing, improved streets and new public green spaces. It could provide job opportunities, a primary school, a health centre, shops, and social and leisure facilities. Eight out of ten people who filled in questionnaires on the plans thought they were good or very good. Many people were excited at the prospect of regenerating the area and some were so keen, they wanted work to start immediately. Steve Compton, Development Director at Leicester Regeneration Company, said, “The New Community is for the people of Leicester, so it was vital that local views were heard. “We had a lot of interest in the plans, with many people visiting the mobile display and giving their views. Responses were mostly positive, although some concerns were raised about traffic noise and pollution, litter and transport. These issues will be addressed before we move forward with this exciting project.” People were asked for their views on what living in the city would mean to them. Ease of access to city centre and the opportunity to walk to work were mentioned as positive aspects and the fact that the community would help to bring the city to life. Commenting on the results of consultation, the City Council’s Head of Urban Design, Ian Tomie, said, "We are delighted with the level of public support for these proposals. The challenge now is to turn them into reality and create a new community for St. George's we can all be proud of." The New Community is one of five main projects from Leicester Regeneration Company’s masterplan for the city. The others are a Science and Technology Park based around the National Space Centre, a New Business Quarter, extending the retail circuit and the regeneration of the city’s waterside. A public consultation has recently finished for the Waterside project and results will be released in the coming months.
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