Magna Park North

42 times as big as Fosse Park Shopping Centre

IDI Gazeley reference: 15/01531/OUT  

Hybrid Application – Zone 1 land at Mere Lane, Bittesby and Zone 2 land adj. ASDA George Headquarters)

The total site area is 590.33 acres.

Zone 1 Mere Lane, Bittesby

  • 573 acres –  Zone 2 6.73 ha (16.62 acres)
  • up to 4,585,890 sq ft of warehousing
  • up to 39,830 sq ft for a Logistics Institute of Technology
  • up to 10,000 sq ft small business space
  • creation of a country park, creation of roundabouts and realignment of the A5 etc

Zone 2 the former Stobart application site (adjacent to George)

  • 62 acres
  • 140 space HGV parking facility
  • HGV training centre,wash and fuelling facilities,
  • Rail Freight Shuttle Terminal

To object to this planning application online:

  • Go to harborough.gov.uk/planning and select “view and make a comment on planning applications”
  • Type 15/01531/OUT into search then select “ comment”
  • Add your name, address etc and comments (It is easiest to type up your comments in “word” then copy and paste them into the comment space.)

The alternative to objecting online is to send a letter to:

Mark Patterson, Planning Department, Harborough District Council, The Symington Building, Adam and Eve Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 7AG

Reasons for objecting fall into two groups: the reasons that are specific to Magna Park North and those that apply to both applications, Magna Park North and Symmetry Park.

Objections specific to Magna Park North

  • The identified need for logistics distribution centres in Leicester and Leicestershire is only 107 hectares over the next 15 years. Magna Park N would secure 225 hectares
  • There is no evidence to suggest that all distribution allocation should be contained in the Magna Park area.
  • The, adopted HDC Core Strategy CS7h, which remains in place until the new Local Plan is adopted in 2018, clearly states that there would be no further development of Magna Park.
  • It contradicts HDC Core Strategy CS17, affecting Heritage Assets including the scheduled ancient monument, the medieval Bittesby Settlement, Bittesby House and the loss of open countryside.
  • The suggested country park adds no additional value as the application removes the availability of a frequently used stretch of footpath, invested in by public money.
  • DIRFT III is already planning a centre for logistics skills and innovation, therefore the proposed college from IDI Gazeley adds little further benefit, if not saturates the logistics education opportunities.
  • The lack of infrastructure upgrades will impact the A5 even further, with no suggested reasonable dual-carriageway to facilitate vehicle flow from HGVs and employees.

Objections that apply to both applications

  • The Magna Park plans are immense in scale. If both plans were approved, it would be the equivalent of building 63 Fosse Park Shopping Centres on farmland in rural South Leicestershire. One single warehouse could house 16 full-sized football pitches!
  • It’s smarter and supported more by planning policy to build logistics centres at locations with railheads.
  • The road infrastructure around Magna Park struggles to cope with existing traffic volumes. Traffic congestion and road traffic accidents would inevitably increase if these massive plans were approved. Leicestershire already has the =6thmost dangerous roads in England!
  • HDC have selected Lutterworth as a key growth area with the potential for 2,000 new homes. Analysis for this has demonstrated that additional residents’ vehicles would take roads up to capacity, without further massive increases in HGV traffic and business commuters
  • Some HGVs do not follow approved routes, travelling through small villages on minor rural roads. This dangerous problem would become even worse if these plans were approved.
  • It’s smarter to build warehouses nearer to people who would take up the new jobs being created. The area around Magna Park has almost zero unemployment. The thousands of new jobs would have to be filled by those having lengthy commutes into the area, generating even more traffic congestion around Magna Park.
  • Lutterworth already has some of the worst air quality in Leicestershire, alongside that of Leicester City Centre and East Midlands Airport. It doesn’t presently meet EU standards.
  • Opposing the expansion of Magna Park is most definitely not “NIMBYism.” We already have Europe’s biggest dedicated distribution centre in our backyard!