A planning inspector has given the go-ahead for two vast warehouses to be built in the Leicestershire countryside after councillors twice turned down the plans.
Developers want to build the two units on a 79 acre site near Stanton under Bardon, close to Amazon’s north west Leicestershire base.
In recent years dozens of big warehouses have gone up in the former coalfield area around Coalville, as part of earlier regeneration schemes and thanks to its central England location next to the M1.
The two new units will be built at Wood Farm, next to the Cliffe Hill Quarry, to serve the logistics and e-commerce sectors.
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council rejected two proposals to develop the greenfield site, to the south of Cliffe Hill quarry, citing on both occasions concerns that it would spoil an area of open countryside.
Original original plans which included a third, smaller unit were scaled back for the second of the two planning applications. That was replaced by landscaping to the south east of the site.
Both applications were turned down by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and developer Wood Farm Holdings took the rejected schemes to appeal, with the Planning Inspectorate dismissing the initial proposal but approving the second.
Inspector Jennifer A Vyse said that both schemes would result in “significant harm” to the character of the countryside, but that this was outweighed by the benefits she believed the project would deliver.
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She said: “I consider that the package of benefits is of such substance, in particular the economic and employment benefits, that it outweighs the harm that I have identified in this case.”
Councillor Andy Furlong, who represents the area on the borough council, said: “Whilst the damage to the countryside is clear, it remains to be seen if the employment and economic benefits ever materialise for those of us who actually live in the area.
“A few people just got very rich at the stroke of a pen. 56 conditions have been applied to the planning consent.
"Councillor Matthew Lay and I will continue to work with the parish council and local residents to do everything possible to ensure that these are closely monitored and enforced should any breaches become apparent.”
Among the conditions, the developer is required to submit a plan for how it will manage construction traffic while building works take place, as well as details about the hours during which work will take place
Consultants representing the developer previously told the council: “The proposal will bring about investment in the local economy and will require significant direct and indirect building services through the construction phase.
“While some of these jobs may be in place already, the scale of the proposal will assist the local construction industry and is likely to contribute to the retention of jobs and creation of some new construction related-jobs.
“Local trading and especially initiatives during the construction phase would help ensure new local opportunities and benefits.”