Councillors vote against advice for Leicestershire logistics scheme

By Liza Helps Property Editor Logistics Matters

COUNCILLORS ON the committee refused the application for a 1.15 million ft2 industrial and logistics scheme at Enderby in Leicestershire last night – going against the advice of their planning officers much to the delight of local campaigners who have battled for four years against the application.

The controversial plans garnered 1,400 objections over concerns regarding highways, bio diversity and potential harm to the village – all of which the applicants Drummond Estates and The Inverock Trust have mitigated to the satisfaction of the Highways Authority, Leicestershire County Council and the planners.

The site has been adopted for employment within the Local Plan and this coupled with the agreed highways and bio diversity mitigation leaves the decision made last night open to appeal. 

The application was refused on the grounds that the highways report does not go far enough and that the impact of the development has not been considered strongly enough, and that the development does not meet current employment needs.

According to Drummond Estate and The Inverock Trust the proposal would represent an investment of £200 million in the local economy and would create around 2,000 permanent new jobs and 125 jobs during construction.

Proposals for Enderby Logistics Hub envisaged four units ranging from 53,000 to 500,000 ft2 being developed on an 80 acre plot next to Junction 21 of the M1 motorway. The scheme was first considered in February 2019.