Oadby & Wigston is a compact urban borough adjoining Leicester, with limited undeveloped land and strong competition between housing, employment, infrastructure, green-space and transport requirements. A small parcel can have significant value where it is accessible and policy-compliant, while a larger field may require comprehensive masterplanning and major infrastructure.
We assess land in Oadby, Wigston and South Wigston, including urban infill, underused commercial sites, employment land, paddocks, community land and strategic parcels on the southern and eastern edges of the built-up area. Cross-boundary sites near Gartree Road also require coordinated consideration with Harborough District.
Our review considers the adopted 2019 Local Plan, the replacement plan submitted for examination in 2026, proposed allocations, highway capacity, active travel, schools, drainage, ecology, green infrastructure, neighbouring uses and likely development costs.
Our initial assessment is completely free and comes with no obligation.
Do You Own Land in Oadby & Wigston? Discover What Your Land Could Be Worth
Obtaining planning permission can significantly increase the value of land, making it one of the most important factors influencing its market value. Determining whether land is suitable for development involves much more than location alone. Councils assess a wide range of factors, including planning policy, access and highways, landscape, ecology, flood risk, drainage, heritage, utilities and infrastructure. Whilst no single factor guarantees planning permission, land that benefits from a combination of favourable characteristics is generally more likely to be considered suitable for development, increasing both its market value and long-term development potential.
The location of your land is one of the most important factors when assessing its development potential. Land situated close to existing towns, villages, schools, shops, employment areas and public transport is often more attractive to both developers and local planning authorities. Sites that naturally extend existing communities are generally considered more suitable for future residential or commercial development.
Planning policy plays a major role in determining whether land may be suitable for development. Councils prepare Local Plans to identify where future homes and employment growth should take place. Land that aligns with national planning policy, emerging Local Plans or areas identified for future growth may have a greater opportunity of securing planning permission over time.
Safe and practical access is essential for almost every development. Councils will consider whether vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists can safely access the site, together with the effect on the surrounding road network. Land that can be connected to existing highways without significant improvements is often viewed more favourably when assessing future development opportunities.
The surrounding landscape can significantly influence whether land is suitable for development. Factors such as topography, existing trees, hedgerows, important views and the relationship with neighbouring development are carefully considered. Sites that can be sensitively integrated into the surrounding landscape whilst retaining important natural features generally offer greater development potential.
Wildlife and environmental considerations form an important part of the planning process. Existing habitats, protected species, mature trees, hedgerows and nearby nature conservation sites are all assessed. Land with fewer ecological constraints, or where habitats can be protected and enhanced through thoughtful design, may provide stronger opportunities for future development.
Flood risk is an important consideration when assessing land for development. Sites with a lower risk of flooding are generally more suitable, although many locations can still be successfully developed with appropriate drainage solutions. Councils will also consider how surface water can be managed through sustainable drainage systems to reduce future flood risk.
Historic buildings, conservation areas and archaeological remains can all influence the development potential of land. Planning authorities will assess whether development could affect the significance or setting of heritage assets. Land with limited heritage constraints, or where sensitive design can preserve local character, is often easier to bring forward for development.
Access to essential infrastructure can influence how easily a site can be developed. This includes electricity, water, drainage, broadband, gas and nearby community facilities such as schools and healthcare. Land that can be connected to existing services without significant investment is generally more attractive from both a planning and development perspective.
Every site is unique, and no single factor determines whether planning permission can be achieved. A successful assessment considers all planning, environmental and technical matters together to understand the site's overall suitability. By reviewing each of these considerations, it is possible to identify both the opportunities and constraints that could affect future development potential.
The latest land value estimates for Oadby & Wigston, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), indicate that residential development land with planning permission could be worth between £1.1 million and £3.4 million per acre, depending on the density of the development. These figures highlight the significant uplift in value that can be achieved when suitable land secures planning consent.
The difference becomes particularly clear when development land values are compared with agricultural land prices across the Midlands. Recent agricultural land market evidence provides the following broad regional benchmarks:
On this basis, residential development land with planning permission could be worth more than 100 times the typical value of agricultural land. This demonstrates why landowners should investigate whether their agricultural, paddock, equestrian or amenity land may have development potential before deciding to sell.
At Value My Land, we help landowners understand the development potential of their land and the steps required to increase its value. Where appropriate, we manage and fund the entire planning process at our own cost and risk, allowing landowners to increase the value of their land without incurring any upfront costs or taking on any financial or planning risk.
See how agricultural land is valued in the UK, including land quality, access, location, tenure, market demand and development potential. Our evergreen guide explains why price-per-acre evidence is only a starting point and how site-specific factors can affect farmland value.
Read Our Agricultural Land Value GuideThe borough’s compact urban form means that development value is closely linked to access, existing neighbourhoods, transport capacity and the efficient use of land. A small infill or redevelopment site may have a clearer route than a larger edge parcel that depends on strategic roads, schools and cross-boundary infrastructure.
Oadby, Wigston and South Wigston are largely built up. Land within or directly adjoining the urban area may benefit from services and market demand, but open-space, amenity, density and neighbouring-use impacts require careful assessment.
The A6, A5199, B582, Leicester Road and Gartree Road carry local and cross-boundary traffic. Junction capacity is constrained, and the emerging plan places significant emphasis on active travel, public transport and longer-term orbital improvements.
The adopted 2019 plan, submitted replacement plan and proposed allocation policies carry different weight. An allocated parcel must still satisfy phasing, access, infrastructure, masterplanning and design requirements before its value is secure.
Land south of Gartree Road forms part of a wider growth area extending into Harborough District. Ownership, access points, schools, public transport, green infrastructure and contributions need coordinated treatment across authority boundaries.
Green wedges, open land, sports and recreation areas, mature trees and the remaining separation between settlements can constrain development or shape a lower-density, landscape-led layout.
Urban drainage networks, surface-water routes, sewer capacity and the need for on-site SuDS are material in a tightly bounded borough. Off-site reinforcement can materially affect timing and residual value.
South Wigston and other employment areas support industrial and commercial value. Noise, servicing, access and the need to protect viable employment uses can make housing inappropriate or reduce its capacity.
Scarcity can support strong demand, but it does not remove planning and infrastructure constraints. A robust valuation measures the realistic development capacity after access, drainage, green infrastructure, affordable housing and other obligations have been allowed for.
The Borough of Oadby and Wigston Local Plan adopted in April 2019 remains the statutory development plan. A replacement plan for 2025–2042 reached an updated Regulation 19 consultation in spring 2026 and was submitted for independent examination in June 2026.
The 2019 plan covers 2011–2031 and contains the current spatial strategy, settlement, employment, environmental and development-management policies until the replacement plan is adopted.
The submitted plan provides for 4,080 homes over 2025–2042. It declares an unmet need against the higher national standard-method figure, with highway capacity forming a central part of the Council’s case. That position will be tested through examination.
The draft identifies land north of Newton Lane, Wigston Meadows Phase 3, land north of Glen Gorse Golf Course, land south of Gartree Road, land east of Stoughton Road and land south of Sutton Close. Together the stated allocations contribute 3,015 homes.
The County Council’s consultation response raised detailed transport, education and delivery issues. Proposed growth on Gartree Road and adjoining sites requires coordinated access, sustainable transport and comprehensive masterplanning rather than isolated applications.
An allocation creates planning potential, not a guaranteed land price. Policy requirements, examination changes, access, infrastructure, affordable housing, green space, phasing and the proportion of saleable land must be reflected in any valuation or agreement with a promoter or developer.
The appropriate strategy depends on whether the land is an allocated strategic site, a smaller urban opportunity, employment land or an alternative site raised through the plan process. Transport and comprehensive delivery should be considered before commercial control is granted.
Check the adopted plan, submitted allocation policies, examination documents, land-availability assessment and planning history. Confirm whether the site is allocated, safeguarded, open space, employment land or outside the development boundary.
For Newton Lane, Wigston Meadows, Gartree Road and other edge locations, identify adjoining ownerships, access points, schools, green infrastructure, SuDS and the sequence in which phases must be delivered.
Assess vehicular access, junction effects, walking and cycling, bus connections, South Wigston rail accessibility, education, healthcare, drainage and utilities. A capacity figure is unreliable until these are understood.
Use proportionate highways, drainage, ecology, landscape, heritage and viability work to address the policy requirements and any objections raised during plan preparation or examination.
Commercial terms should address promoter costs, minimum price, decision control, retained access, equalisation, infrastructure deductions and competitive marketing. Strategic parcels may require collaboration before any one phase is sold.
Cross-boundary land south of Gartree Road must be considered with the related Harborough allocation and the wider transport strategy. Separate agreements or applications that fail to protect shared routes and infrastructure can reduce the value and deliverability of every ownership.
The borough’s three main urban areas have different land and market characteristics, but all are influenced by Leicester, constrained road capacity and a limited supply of undeveloped land.
Oadby has established residential demand, schools, local centres and strong links with Leicester. Edge sites around Stoughton Road, Glen Gorse and Sutton Close must address landscape, access, green infrastructure and adjoining uses.
Wigston contains the borough’s largest proposed allocations, including Newton Lane and Wigston Meadows. Delivery requires new community infrastructure, education, transport and a coordinated relationship with existing neighbourhoods.
The railway station, established employment areas and existing urban fabric create opportunities for employment, redevelopment, infill and higher-density housing where noise, access, contamination and viability are resolved.
The strategic development area crosses into Harborough District and forms part of a longer-term south-east Leicester growth corridor. Access, orbital connectivity and joint masterplanning are central.
The Parade, Oadby; Wigston town centre; and local centres may support mixed-use redevelopment, upper-floor housing and improved commercial space, subject to servicing, parking, heritage and market demand.
Brocks Hill, sports land, green wedges, watercourses and open corridors contribute to settlement identity and healthy communities. Development layouts must retain and connect important green and blue infrastructure.
We assess small urban sites and larger strategic parcels throughout the borough, including land adjoining Leicester City and Harborough District.
Residential, commercial, infill and edge sites influenced by Leicester, local centres, schools, bus routes and highway capacity.
Proposed and alternative housing land requiring landscape, access, drainage, green infrastructure and settlement-edge assessment.
Strategic housing, community infrastructure and adjoining parcels requiring coordinated masterplanning and phasing.
Industrial, commercial, brownfield and mixed-use opportunities influenced by the railway, servicing, neighbouring uses and urban regeneration.
Cross-boundary strategic land where access, transport, schools, infrastructure and ownership must be planned as a single growth area.
Smaller allocations, paddocks and open land where amenity, landscape, recreation, ecology and local access determine capacity.
Administrative boundaries do not remove physical dependencies. Where access, drainage or infrastructure lies in another authority, the whole development and commercial structure should be reviewed together.
The borough contains both strategic allocations and smaller urban opportunities. The valuation should compare the likely planning route, market use, net capacity and timing of each option.
Land within the submitted allocations may support significant residential value, but only after policy requirements, examination risk, phasing, infrastructure and equalisation are reflected.
Oversized plots, garage courts, underused community land and small gaps may support housing where access, amenity, trees, parking and character are acceptable.
Vacant shops, offices, yards and former commercial sites may be reused for housing or mixed use, subject to contamination, servicing, neighbouring uses and viability.
Established employment areas and accessible urban sites may retain or increase value through modern industrial, service, office or commercial development.
Redevelopment and upper-floor uses can support regeneration in Oadby, Wigston and South Wigston, but the appraisal must test market demand, parking, servicing and build costs.
Gartree Road and adjoining Harborough land require joint masterplanning, strategic transport and coordinated ownership. A parcel’s value depends on its role within the wider scheme.
In a constrained urban borough, efficient density can strengthen value, but only where design quality, amenity, transport, green space and infrastructure remain acceptable.
A postcode or map is enough to start. The following information helps determine whether the land is an allocated, application-led, redevelopment or longer-term opportunity.
A title plan, ownership details, leases, access rights, covenants, ransom strips and any adjoining land required for roads, drainage or comprehensive masterplanning.
Any adopted-plan, Regulation 19, allocation-policy, SHELAA, planning-application or examination reference and correspondence from the Council or developer.
Existing and proposed access, junction information, pedestrian and cycle routes, bus services, South Wigston station access and any transport assessment or highway advice.
Drainage, sewer, utilities, education, trees, ecology, open space, green wedge, contamination, noise and air-quality information.
Any concept layout, estimated units or floorspace, adjoining promoter agreements, preferred timescale, retained rights and minimum-price expectations.
Live Planning Opportunities
Search our live planning pages to identify current opportunities for promoting land through the planning system. You can find open Call for Sites exercises, monitor the progress of emerging and reviewed Local Plans and identify current HELAA and SHLAA assessments being undertaken by local councils. These resources can help landowners understand when councils are seeking new development sites, where future growth may be planned and when land can be submitted for consideration for housing, employment or mixed-use development.
Search for open Call for Sites exercises and identify councils currently inviting land submissions.
Search Open OpportunitiesMonitor emerging and reviewed Local Plans and understand where future growth may be directed.
Track Local PlansIdentify current HELAA and SHLAA assessments being undertaken by local planning authorities.
View Land AssessmentsAugust 2026 National Policy
The final National Planning Policy Framework took effect for decision-making on 17 August 2026. It changes the national route used to assess development opportunities in Oadby & Wigston, but it does not replace the need for a site-specific review of local policy, access, constraints, infrastructure and deliverability.
Policy S3 now directs proposals within a settlement to policy S4 and proposals outside a settlement to policy S5. For land in Oadby & Wigston, the adopted policies map, any defined settlement boundary and the precise position of the whole site should therefore be checked before drawing conclusions from nearby development.
Policy L2 gives substantial weight to the benefits of remediating degraded or contaminated land and making better use of vacant, underused and previously developed land. That support is important, but it does not remove access, design, flood-risk, ecology, heritage, amenity or infrastructure requirements.
Grey belt is now defined as previously developed Green Belt land and/or other Green Belt land that does not strongly contribute to purposes A, B or D. Protected landscapes, habitats, heritage and flood risk are separate policy tests. Development must follow the applicable GB7 route and, for relevant major housing, the GB8 Golden Rules.
A five-year housing land supply shortfall or Housing Delivery Test result below 75% can evidence unmet housing need for policy S5(1)(j). That route is location-specific, requires the site to be physically well-related to a settlement and appropriately scaled for infrastructure, and does not itself apply as the development route within the Green Belt.
The new framework can alter the probability and route of obtaining planning permission in Oadby & Wigston; it does not automatically convert land to residential development value. A valuation should reflect the evidence, likely timescale, policy contributions, net developable area and remaining planning risk.
Read the National Planning Policy Framework published on 17 August 2026.
These guides cover nearby locations and the planning, transport and valuation issues most relevant to landowners in this compact urban borough.
Review regeneration, brownfield, employment and development-land considerations within the adjoining city.
Click hereUnderstand strategic growth, Leicester-fringe and infrastructure issues immediately west of the borough.
Click hereReview the cross-boundary Gartree Road and wider south-east Leicester planning context.
Click hereLearn how Local Plans, national policy and material considerations affect development value.
Click hereUnderstand allocations, representations, examination and the evidence needed to promote land.
Click hereSee how national housing calculations and unmet need can influence Local Plan preparation.
Click hereReview access design, junction capacity, sustainable travel and transport evidence.
Click hereLearn how consent, density, infrastructure, affordable housing and abnormal costs affect value.
Click hereCompare promotion, option, conditional sale and open-market routes for landowners.
Click hereThe borough’s constrained supply means small urban opportunities and large strategic sites can both be valuable, but each requires a different planning and valuation approach.
Larger edge sites requiring examination, masterplanning, schools, transport, green infrastructure and coordinated ownership.
Small gaps, oversized plots, garage courts and underused land within established neighbourhoods.
Former commercial, community and employment sites considered for regeneration or alternative uses.
Industrial, office, service and town-centre sites assessed against occupier demand and neighbouring uses.
Urban-edge fields and open parcels where landscape, recreation, green infrastructure, access and policy are decisive.
Use our Land Assessment Tool to assess the development potential of your land. A low score does not necessarily mean your land cannot obtain planning permission. We always recommend that a full detailed assessment is undertaken by us.
Start answering the questions to discover your land’s development potential.
This tool provides an indicative assessment only. For a more accurate and detailed assessment, we recommend that a full professional appraisal is undertaken by our experts.
Our experts can provide a more detailed assessment and help unlock the full value of your land.
At Value My Land, we help Oadby & Wigston landowners understand whether their land may have development potential.
If you would like a free, no-obligation assessment of your land, simply send us the location of your site and we will carry out a high-level review of its development potential. We aim to make the process as straightforward as possible, so you do not need to provide detailed plans or technical information at this stage. Simply let us know where the land is located using one of the following:
The Local Plan adopted in April 2019 remains the statutory development plan. A replacement plan covering 2025–2042 was published for an updated Regulation 19 consultation from 17 April to 29 May 2026 and submitted for independent examination in June 2026.
The submitted strategy identifies land north of Newton Lane, Wigston Meadows Phase 3, land north of Glen Gorse Golf Course, land south of Gartree Road, land east of Stoughton Road and land south of Sutton Close. Policy capacity and boundaries remain subject to examination and any modifications.
No. Value depends on examination risk, access, phasing, schools, transport, drainage, affordable housing, green infrastructure, ownership and the proportion of net saleable land. A developer will deduct these costs from the completed-development value.
The borough is compact and key routes already carry substantial local and cross-boundary traffic. The submitted plan’s housing strategy and declared unmet need rely heavily on transport evidence, which will be tested at examination. Individual sites still require safe access and proportionate mitigation.
The Oadby & Wigston allocation forms part of a larger strategic area in Harborough District. Access, public transport, schools, green infrastructure, phasing and ownership should be comprehensively masterplanned. Separate parcel decisions can affect the value of the wider scheme.
Potentially. Smaller sites may come forward through planning applications where they comply with adopted policy and address access, amenity, trees, parking, drainage, contamination and neighbouring uses. Read our Brownfield Land Registers guide.
Yes, but the price and agreement should reflect the risk of policy modification, infrastructure deductions and timing. Landowners should understand whether a promoter, option holder or open-market buyer is best placed to protect value.
A postcode, title plan, map pin or what3words reference is enough to begin. Include any allocation reference, access details, planning history, survey, lease or developer approach already available.
If you own land in Oadby & Wigston and would like to understand its potential development value, we can help. Our team will undertake an initial review of your site and provide an honest assessment of its prospects.
Whether you own agricultural land, Green Belt land, paddocks or larger strategic holdings, understanding your options is the first step towards unlocking value.
Request your FREE, no-obligation land assessment today and discover whether your land could have development potential.
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