Planning officers recommend massive Fraser Group HQ and logistics campus

By Liza Helps, Property Editor, Logistics Matters

THE RECOMMENDATION for approval has been put forward ahead of a planning committee meeting on Wednesday 18^th December despite an acknowledgment that the scheme represents inappropriate development in the green belt.

The proposals on a 280 acre greenfield site which is bounded to the south by the M6 Motorway with the M69 motorway running adjacent to the site's western boundary, envision a campus style scheme made up of head office and distribution/warehouse facilities, concept retail Research & Development, as well as onsite accommodation including a hotel and halls of residence, a nursery, supplier offices in addition to sporting and recreation facilities, and a helipad. There will also be substantial landscaping and ecological enhancements.

The logistics element of the campus would see the development of five  BREEAM Outstanding facilities ranging in size from 250,000ft2 to 1.2 million ft2 with up to 234,000ft2 of dedicated to office space.

The scheme has been designed by EDEN Project architect Grimshaw. While the campus approach proposed by the group is not unique. Many other major businesses such as Google, McLaren, Dyson, Nike and Adidas have implemented this internationally, however, there are currently no examples of this scale in the UK.

Frasers Group has a big portfolio of well-known brands, including Sports Direct, House of Fraser, GAME, Jack Wills, Sofa.com, Evans Cycles, and Everlast.

Planning officers recommended approval  noting that ‘the totality of the economic, environmental and social benefits have been considered and the totality of the benefits clearly outweigh the combined weight of the harm to the Green Belt and any other harm, including the retail and landscape harm, heritage harm and harm in respect to the failure to satisfy the sequential test’.

Consequently, the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development do exist and the application should be approved.

These special circumstances included the fact that the proposed campus is located at the junction of the M6, M69 and A46 which are part of the Strategic Road Network. It is also in close proximity to Ansty Business Park which currently has sustainable transport links to Coventry and the surrounding area. Planning officers noted: “The type of development proposed is considered to be in a sustainable location, such that it would offer a genuine choice of transport modes.”

The site is located within the ‘Golden Triangle’ for logistics and distribution businesses, thus named for the benefits this defined area affords in terms of access to the strategic road network.

Frasers Group’s primary headquarters are currently located in Shirebrook in Derbyshire with warehousing and other company facilities scattered throughout the country. This proposal seeks to relocate the headquarters and to condense the warehouse operation into one location.

The application is being reported to Planning Committee for determination because the proposed development falls within the definition of major development, is a departure from the Development Plan and 15 or more letters of objection have been received.

Objections have been received from neighbouring Coventry Council, the local parish councils and Sports England, The Environment Agency, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) as well as the Ramblers Association.