Iconic windmill on the move if village housing plans approved

A village’s iconic model windmill could be on the move as the garage forecourt it sits in is set to be turned into housing. Selby’s Garage is a long-standing feature of Woodhouse Eaves, near Bradgate Park, but new plans for the Main Road site of the family-owned business have been lodged with Charnwood Borough Council.

The Selby family, which owns the business, is hoping to turn the site into eight homes of between two to four bedrooms. The area is included in the village’s neighbourhood plan, which allocates up to 16 homes for the space, but documents submitted as part of the application say the site wouldn't be suitable for that number of houses.

The wooden windmill currently sits in a spot at the back of a small car parking area on the site, and is a tribute to a full-sized windmill in the countryside just outside the village. If planning permission is given, the model windmill will be moved from its current spot to one closer to the entrance to the site, ensuring passersby can still see the windmill after the homes have been built.

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The original Woodhouse Eaves' windmill was largely destroyed in a fire more than 70 years ago, with the base now used as a viewing platform at the Broombriggs Farm and Windmill Hill country park. It was originally moved to Leicestershire from Derbyshire in the 1700s.

Its miniature replica was built in the 1950s by a local former headmaster, Eric Allsop, with help from a woodwork teacher. The sails were made by the children of Maplewell Hall School, but were replaced with new versions in 2010. Frank Selby, described in documents as the grandfather of the current owners, placed the windmill in its home on the Selby’s forecourt, where it has become a landmark of the village.

Planning documents say the windmill is a reminder of Woodhouse Eaves' rural past, and is ‘held with affection by both residents and visitors’. The documents add: “The local value of the model windmill is also bound with previous activities of the village. It was constructed and maintained by residents. The windmill has also been a feature on the street scene for several years and able to be appreciated from off-site. It contributes to the communal values and setting of the Woodhouse Eaves Conservation Area.

“It is often used in treasure hunts and photographed by visitors. It is also used to mark seasonal events by being decorated by poppies and Christmas lights.”

The application documents can be viewed on the council’s planning portal, and comments and objections can be made until Tuesday, 28 May.

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