Research reports used to prepare the Local Plan show that 700,000 sq mts of non-rail warehousing at Magna Park would result in an over supply of warehouse space in Leicestershire - not just in Harborough District. When we (the public) were last consulted on the possible expansion of Magna Park in 2015 three options were proposed: Option A to provide land for 15/00919/FUL: Option B to provide an addition to A land for 15/00865/OUT: Option C to provide land for 15/01531/OUT in addition to Option B. Planning permission has already been granted for 15/00919/FUL (Option A) despite opposition expressed in the consultation process and by nearly 1,000 residents during the planning process. In granting the planning permission the Core Strategy was over-ruled by the Planning Committee - Core Strategy stated that there should be no increase in the footprint at Magna Park. In the 2015 consultation process it was stated that Option C ...... "would exceed significantly the undersupply of non-rail strategic distribution land set out in the Leicester and Leicestershire Strategic distribution Sector Study (2014) for the whole of Leicester and Leicestershire, and would potentially be contrary to its recommended strategy of providing a range and choice of sites" Since 2015 there have been planning approvals for non-rail warehouse sites in and around south Leicestershire that exceed the stated need. The decision to put 700,000 sq mts into the Local Plan was made at the very last minute and appears to be favouring the demands of the developers rather than considering the needs of local residents. This development will not achieve the objectives of the local plan:
- to bring a wide range of local skilled jobs (the jobs in warehousing cover a narrow range of skills and many are low/unskilled and have proved difficult to fill - people being drawn from a wide area across the UK and Europe),
- to reduce out-commuting (there are constantly vacancies at MP which cannot be filled. If out commuters wanted this type of job they would already have applied for them),
- more opportunities for higher skilled residents (there will be a limited number of skilled jobs created at Magna Park - as there are at present)
Allowing 700,000 sq mts of development at MP will not support the objectives of the Local Plan and will bring loss of countryside, reduced biodiversity, increased air pollution, further traffic congestion on roads that government already admits are not fit for purpose.
There are other more suitable sites for this warehousing including at DIRFT (A5/Jn18) which is on a rail head - thus complying with the governments desire for these developments to be on rail rather than road.