Magna Park plans on hold for another week

THE decision to allow a huge expansion to Magna Park has been declared void after concerned councillors triggered a new debate on it.

A planning application by IDI Gazeley, which operates the existing 500 acre industrial complex near Lutterworth, was approved by Harborough District Council’s planning committee during a contentious five hour meeting on Thursday.

The plan to accommodate logistics and delivery company DHL was approved by seven votes to four to the fury of campaigners who have fought a determined three year campaign against the plan.

However the granted planning consent has temporarily been withdrawn after a group of councillors, some whom sat on the original planning committee, have exercised their right to call the application in.

That means the proposal for the storage and distribution centre will now be re-run before the full council meeting on Monday December 11 and a decision will be taken by all 37 of the authority’s councillors.

The decision to permit a further expansion of Magna Park to the south east, by db Symmetry, still stands despite also proving controversial.

Both plans were opposed on various grounds they would swallow up vast swathes of countryside, create huge amounts of traffic, noise, and light pollution and cause harm to nearby historic monuments.

There were also concerns that the planning committee lacked members who lived in the west of the district - the area most affected by the schemes.

Ullesthorpe ward Conservative councillor Rosita Page has led the call in.

She said: “The residents deserve a last chance. Not enough weight has been attached to the harm that will be caused to Ullesthorpe Moat and the buried Medieval village at Bitteswell. “Both are ancient monuments. “Democracy has been ignored, the community has been ignored.”

The other councillors who have signed the call in are Lib Dems Simon Galton and Sarah Hill and Conservatives Jeanette Ackerley, Geraldine Robinson, Sindy Modha and Charmaine Wood.

Dr Hill said: “The issue is the scale of the expansion. It has been accepted there will be some expan- sion of Magna Park but not as much a this.”

She said there was also some doubt about the developers’ claims that more than 9,000 jobs would be created.

Dr Hill said: “We are not sure about that number because of automisation of the warehouses.”

IDI Gazeley for has said it doesn not wish to comment at this stage.

The application will be considered again at the council meeting at 6.30pm on December 11 at the council’s offices in Market Harborough.