Magna Park is Big Enough
Gazeley have appealed against the refusal of their planning application
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The HDC Local Plan will be examined at a public meeting for two weeks starting on Tuesday 2nd October 2018.
Magna Park is Big Enough is an umbrella group for local people who want to challenge the need to expand Magna Park. We believe that any further expansion would have a detrimental effect on our lives and the local environment and bring little or no benefit to the local area.
In 2015 three planning applications to expand the distribution site at Magna Park were submitted to Harborough District Council by two different developers.
- Magna Park/DHL (15/00919/FUL)
- Magna Park “North” (15/01531/OUT)
- Symmetry Park (15/00865/OUT)
The proposed developments would nearly triple the current size of Magna Park placing up to 8 million square feet of warehousing on South Leicestershire countryside. The area of farmland that will be covered by the expansion is the equivalent of 63 Fosse Park Shopping centres.
On the 13th July 2016 Magna Park/DHL was given approval by Harborough District Council’s Planning Committee. This was the second time the Planning Committee had considered the application and this time it was approved by only one vote. At the end of October the final approval was given to this planning application but in early December 2016 dbSymmetry, the developers of Symmetry Park (15/00865/OUT) requested a judicial review of HDC’s decision to grant permission. The courts agreed that there was a need for a judicial review but before the review could take place it was withdrawn. We do not know the reasons for the withdrawal but Gazeley, Harborough District Council and dbSymmetry all had to agree before it could be withdrawn. This meant that work could now start on the DHL warehouse along Mere Lane and the other planning applications could proceed to the planning committee.
The DHL warehouse site will be larger than 4 Fosse Park Shopping Centres.
The next Magna Park planning application (Magna Park “North” 15/01531/OUT) will be the equivalent in size to 42 Fosse Park Shopping Centres. This was heard on 23rd November 2017 and accepted by a 6-5 vote. Following the planning meeting a group of councillors called in the application to a full Council meeting. This meeting was held on Wednesday 10th January 2018 and the Council refused planning permission.
The dbSymmetry planning application (Symmetry Park 15/00865/OUT) is to build a site equivalent to 17 Fosse Park Shopping Centres. This application was also heard on 23rd November 2017 and was accepted. This application was not the subject of a call in but currently the Secretary of State is considering whether the application can go ahead or be subject to a government call in.
Furthermore, the park's development has attracted a diverse array of companies eager to participate as partners, offering a wide range of activities. These include sports events, news coverage, and even opportunities to engage best online slots or like hungarian people says - legjobb online nyerőgépek. This collaborative approach not only enhances the park's offerings but also enriches the overall experience for visitors, ensuring there is something appealing for everyone to enjoy.
Meanwhile HDC have submitted its Local Plan 2011-2031 to the government for the consideration of the inspectors. This plan includes proposals to allow development at Magna Park up to 700,000 sq mts – the exact amount of space required for the non-approved planning applications!!
Watch this space