Land at Corkscrew Lane, Ashby de la Zouch - Consultation

Introduction

Mather Jamie is a well established and specialist land development and property consultancy based in Loughborough, Leicestershire. We pride ourselves on providing a comprehensive range of Director-led advisory services to landowners, occupiers, developers and investors nationwide. We are one of the East Midland’s leading commercial and agricultural surveyors and valuers. Our principal services include strategic land development advice, acting as rural estate managers and letting agents, and commercial property agents.

Please send your comments to the following email address: Public.Consultation@marrons-planning.co.uk. Alternatively, you can send comments to:

Land at Corkscrew Lane, Ashby de la Zouch Consultation

Marrons Planning

Shakespeare Martineau

Waterfront Plaza

Waterfront House

35 Station St

Nottingham

NG2 3DQ

Please send us your comments by midnight on Thursday 9th February 2023.

North West Leicestershire District Council will notify local residents once the application has been submitted. Reviewing the planning application will be a good way for local residents to understand our proposals in full.

The Site and Surroundings

The Corkscrew Lane Site covers an area of approximately 11.4ha and is located to the east of Ashby de la Zouch. The Site is roughly triangular with Corkscrew Lane forming the western boundary and the Ashby Road (the A511) forming the eastern boundary. A railway line is immediately adjacent to the Site’s southern boundary. The Site is located within the National Forest. The nearest residential properties are located around 200m to the north of the Site and 300m south west of the Site with further houses located 400-500m to the south east and south west.

The Site is comprised of a single agricultural field which is intensively farmed and in used for arable production. There is a small pocket of woodland close to the junction of Corkscrew Lane and Ashby Road, which will be retained. The Site is bounded by further agricultural fields to the south and north (beyond the A511). There is well established natural vegetation around the Site, with the boundaries being made up of a mix of hedgerows and tree belts. There are no Public Rights of Way crossing the Site.

To the immediate west of the Site is the proposed G-Park scheme. This is located between Corkscrew Lane and the A42. The G-Park site was part of the former UK Coal Lounge disposal point. The area is now characterised by redundant infrastructure (including hard standings and internal roads and drainage lagoons) associated with its former use. There is an extant planning permission for Class B8 distribution unit(s) and ancillary offices (B1a) (along with other supporting components of that application (Reference 19/0652/FULM). The G-Park site is, in part, a Local Plan allocation although part of the consented scheme lies within the countryside and so subject to the provisions of Policy S3 of the North West Leicestershire Adopted Local Plan.

Once built G Park will accommodate up to 70,000 sqm gross of logistics/warehousing and will provide parking provision for nearly 200 HGVs and 550 cars.

The Need For Strategic Warehousing

Demand for warehousing and distribution space has increased significantly in the logistics sector due to a combination of Brexit, the growth of e-commerce, which has grown much quicker than predicted as a result of changes to shopping habits during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and increasing trends for transport freight demand to reflect consumption (including changes in tastes, fashions and technological developments). The level of strategic warehousing need is likely to remain high and unmet and there is a clear need for further strategic warehousing provision in Leicestershire.

North West Leicestershire and its partners across the Leicester and Leicester Housing Market Area (HMA) have identified a shortfall of 301,293 sqm at non-rail served warehouse sites between 2020-2041. Permission has recently been granted on appeal for 89,200 sqm of industry (B2)/warehousing (B8) in Hinckley and Bosworth Borough (on the border with NWL) but there remains a HMA wide need to 212,093sqm.

The Council’s evidence in respect of strategic distribution needs highlights that there has been considerable demand for new-build strategic warehousing in the District in recent years. This reflects the North West Leicestershire’s exceptionally good strategic transport links, notably the M42/A42 transport corridor, the A50/Midland Main Line and M1/A511.

The Council’s recent Issues and Options Consultation indicated that the Council will proceed with plan-making on the basis that making no/minimal provision for strategic distribution would be unrealistic in view of the intensity of the development pressure in the District for this sector. Since April 2011, permissions have been granted for some 423Ha of strategic warehousing including East Midlands Gateway (139Ha), plots at East Midlands Distribution Centre (22Ha), Mercia Park (97Ha), and Aldi at Sawley (39Ha). The level of provision in the District alone has exceeded what was predicted for the whole of Leicester and Leicestershire up to 2031 in the Strategic Distribution Study (2017) which signals the particular market strength and need of this sector.

North West Leicestershire Local Plan

The development plan for North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) currently consists of the Local Plan (2011 to 2031). This provides the current planning policies for the District. The plan was subject to a partial review to amend Policy S1. With an updated version of Policy S1 being adopted on 16 March 2021.

The Site is located in the Countryside, as defined in Policy S3 of the North West Leicestershire Local Plan. This Policy supports employment land provision in the Countryside in accordance with the provisions of Policy Ec2.

Policy Ec2 states that where evidence indicates an immediate need or demand for additional employment land (B1, B2 and B8) in North West Leicestershire that cannot be met from land allocated in this plan, the Council will consider favourably proposals that meet the identified need in appropriate locations subject to the proposal:

Being accessible or will be made accessible by a choice of means of transport, including sustainable transport modes, as a consequence of planning permission being granted for the development; and
Having good access to the strategic highway network (M1, M42/A42 and A50) and an acceptable impact on the capacity of that network, including any junctions; and
Not being detrimental to the amenities of any nearby residential properties or the wider environment.

The Site is well related to, and has good access to the Strategic Highway Network and, in our view is unlikely to have an unacceptable impact on the highways network. It is also unlikely to have any detrimental impact on the amenity of nearby residential properties given their location and distance from the Site. Moreover the scheme offers opportunity to reinforce the sustainable transport measures proposed as part of the G-Park scheme and so could provide opportunity to improve access locally.

The Council has now commenced work on its substantive review of the Local Plan. To date preparation of the emerging plan is at an early stage although the Council has undertaken an ‘Issues and Options Consultation’. This closed on the 14th March 2022 and our clients are promoting this Site through the emerging Plan and have made representations accordingly. It is understood that the Council will be consulting on a site allocations document in Summer 2023.

The Proposals

The scheme proposes commercial development comprising of:
up to 500,000 sq. ft. (46,451sqm) use class B2 (industrial) and/or B8 (storage and distribution) with ancillary B1(a) offices) and service buildings
maximum height to eaves of 21m.
Access to the site would be via a single new access to Corkscrew Lane.
Significant open space, habitat creating including National Forest tree planting together with the provision of an appropriate sustainable urban drainage scheme (SUDS).
Foul water sewer connection to Farm Town

The emerging layout shows no development on the northern tip of the site which is currently covered by a small area of woodland to the immediate south of the junction of the A511 and Corkscrew Lane. This woodland will be retained. The development will include significant green infrastructure as well as further reinforcement of hedgerows along the site boundaries including with the A511. At this stage is expected to provide new habitats through National Forest tree planting (including on land outside of the redline area of the Site, but in the ownership of the applicant) to help screen development. The development would also be supported by the creation of new on and off site habitat creation including the attenuation ponds and other SUDS features proposed.

The scheme will be submitted as an Outline Application, with all matters reserved save for access.

Technical Evidence

The application will be accompanied by a comprehensive suite of environmental and technical studies.

Highways

To assess the impact of the development on the transport infrastructure, a Transport Statement and Travel Plan will be produced and submitted with the planning application. This will include traffic surveys to ensure the proposed development will not have a significant impact on the local highways network and will include a review of Personal Injury Accident records to help identify any signs of ongoing highway safety issues.

The proposed vehicular access point to the site is from Corkscrew Lane. Presently we expect the access to comprise of a ghost island T junction. Provision will be made for visibility splays in line with identified design standards reflecting local traffic speeds and road conditions. As the application is in outline (with means of access), parking will be a reserved matter, however provision will be made within the site layout to accommodate an appropriate level of parking provision to meet any local design standards.

Flood Risk and Drainage

The site is entirely located within Flood Zone 1. The Environment Agency defines Flood Zone 1 land as having a less than 1 in 1,000 annual probability of river or sea flooding. A Flood Risk Assessment will accompany the planning application, which will demonstrate that development can proceed without increasing flood risk.

An indicative Drainage Strategy will be submitted to the Council which demonstrates that the site can be successfully drained. The sustainable drainage scheme for the site will be designed to ensure surface water runoff is attenuated on the site and discharged at a rate equivalent to green field runoff. Any drainage scheme will include appropriate allowances for climate change and urban creep and will ensure that development does not lead to increased surface water flood risk locally. It will also be designed to reflect the Sites Location within the catchment area of the River Mease Special Area of Conservation. Leicestershire County Council as the Lead Local Flood Authority as well as the Environment Agency and Natural England will be consulted on the proposals in terms of whether the scheme is acceptable from a flood risk and drainage perspective.

Landscape

The site is also not covered by any landscape-designations. A Landscape and Visual Appraisal (LVA) will support the planning application and will take into account the likely landscape and visual implications of the development.

Ecology and Trees

An Ecological Appraisal will support the application. This will highlight any sensitive habitats or species which could be affected by development and mitigation to reduce any effects development could have on the ecology of the site. The design of the scheme will seek to ensure no net loss in biodiversity and where possible incorporate a net gain in biodiversity and over time improve the ecological value of the site and the immediately surrounding land.

An Arboricultural (Tree) Report will also be submitted alongside the application. This will outline which trees are better quality and how development can be managed to minimise impact upon trees. This includes assessing which trees need to remain and those that can be removed.

Heritage

The Site does not accommodate any listed buildings or other designated heritage assets. There are a number of listed buildings within 1km of the site including a milepost outside 96 Leicester Road, New Packington (Grade II) located 600m to the south west of the Site’s southern boundary and Alton House (Grade II) located 900m to the south east of the Site., The potential for development to affect these assets or their setting is limited by distance, intervening landform and topography and the lack of intervisibility between the proposal site and assets.

A Heritage Impact Assessment and Geo-physical Survey of the site will be undertaken and submitted alongside any planning application and measures taken to ensure that any development does not have any significant impact on local heritage assets.

Draft Parameter Plan

Draft Masterplan - Three Unit

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What types of development will be delivered?

It is envisaged that development will comprise of a limited number of commercial warehouses which will be used for manufacturing or logistics type uses.

Q: How will development affect the Local Road Network?

We have carefully selected this Site because it is located close to the A42 and the Strategic Road Network and so traffic will not have an unacceptable impact on residential areas. However development will increase traffic using local roads. In order to ensure that the local highways network is not subject to increased congestion and ensure roads remain safe we will make a number of changes to local highways including through carriage way widening, signalisation of junctions and so on. Any changes will need to be considered and agreed to with the Local Highways Authority and our investigations demonstrate that subject to mitigation the scheme can be accommodated by the exiting highways network

Q: If you receive Planning Permission when would the development take place?

There is an immediate commercial need for this development. We therefore expect delivery to be expedited, with final planning issues resolved in 2023 and construction to start in 2024.

Q: When will you submit a planning application?

It is our intention to submit an outline planning application in February 2023.

Q: How can I view the planning application?

Once submitted, the planning application will be available to view via the planning register on North West Leicestershire District Council’s website or in person at the Council offices.

Thank you for visiting this consultation website.

Please send your comments to the following email address: Public.Consultation@marrons-planning.co.uk

Land at Corkscrew Lane Consultation