East Leake residents are divided over the new homes and school for the village, with many fearing the area could lose its rural charm. Some residents feel the large new housing development has changed the area, with hundreds of new homes straining amenities.
However, many other residents argue the housing estate has brought a new life to the area and put East Leake back on the map with new facilities coming with it. This includes the sports pavilion and plans for a new 315 place primary school and 26 place nursery.
Jess Rose, 31, said: "I think we could do with more shops, but then it would feel more like a town than a village, although it does seem more like a town at the moment."
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Jess has lived in the village for five years and says since the new houses were built everything is "definitely a lot busier" than it used to be. She added: "I don't really use a lot in East Leake, just the Co-op and doctors."
Retired, Kate Davis, 75, has lived in the village for over 60 years and explained how different it has become. Kate said: "I remember when it was mainly a farming community with a main farming family in the village.
"It has changed a lot we can walk through the village and don't know anyone know. The housing estates have been built, and its quite industrial in places."
Kate explained that lots of younger families with children are moving to the area, but "the schools are overcrowded and children are being bussed out." She explaind that although there a plans for a new school, this will still take time to be built and ready to open.
She added: "Other than that its a lovely place to live, only ten minutes from Loughborough and 30 from Nottingham." Retired Jennifer Baxendale, 75, of East Leake, feels "the village has completely changed."
Jennifer said: "It's not the same as it used to be with all these houses. It's a completely different environment.
"When we moved here there was 6,000 people and its more like 20,000 people here now. The roads are chaos, the village can't move between three o'clock and five o'clock as its really really busy.
"The village has deteriorated if anything." She added that the number of people in the village is straining the local doctor surgery, making it difficult to get appointments.
Clinical trial management worker, Desmond Dorairajoo, 50, has lived in East Leake for several years. He understands people's concerns regarding the doctors and school places, but believes all the new people coming to the area is bringing more life to the village.
Desmond said: "By having the new houses it is bringing more life into the village, so it's not a dying village. Even now on a weekend there is a lot more life compared to before with all these new houses.
"The pub is more family friendly and has children's meals now rather than just being a pub." Although he hasn't used the sports pavilion yet, Desmond explained that friends and family have and really enjoy having those facilities nearby, and that is it "bringing the whole community together."
University tutor, William Evans, 27, has recently moved to East Leake. He said: "I'm new, but I like it here."
William described the village as "really nice and friendly" and explained that there was a popular Facebook group which "is like a village square online." He also described the village as having a real "community spirit."
When asked about the facilities within the village, William said: "There has been some roadworks at the top end recently but they have finished now. I tend to walk to the co op.
"I really like it here, as having grown up in a tiny place that didn't even have a bus stop, I think the village has everything it could possibly need to support people. There's hairdressers and shops and schools and everything else.
"There is a pub here and you can go to Nottingham or Loughborough for anything else. I do think that as we do more things to a small space, it can cause it to lose its charm.
Retired, Sue Long, 71, lives on the new estate in East Leake. She said: "We have no idea what it was like before as we only moved here last year to be closer to family, but we think it's lovely. It's really friendly, probably cheaper compares to Essex and we have made new friends here.
"We really couldn't be happier with East Leake." Also living on the new estate, Katie Neville, 23, said: "It's a lovely village, it's really friendly.
"I have lived here all my life." When asked about resources in the village, she said: "There's just the co op and that's handy."
Katie also described the sports pavilion as "really nice" and is looking forward to the new primary school opening. Adding: "There's lots of children here and I know people are struggling for places at the primary school."
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