Decision on landmark industrial site put back again

Turbine Hall, which sports the distinctive "Brush" sign, would remain untouched if the plans go ahead

A decision on plans to demolish part of a historic manufacturing site has been postponed for a second time.

The application to knock down some of the buildings at Loughborough's Falcon Works in Nottingham Road and construct new buildings on the site was initially set to be made on Thursday.

Charnwood Borough Council planning officers had advised councillors to refuse the plans, but changed their recommendation to "defer" after receiving late submissions from the developers.

Planning committee members agreed to delay the decision to allow for more detailed plans to be considered by officers.

A decision on the application, made by Falcon UK MLI Property Unit Trust, was previously deferred in July.

Turbine Hall, also known as "the Brush" or "Falcon building", is not part of the demolition plans.

An application for the site was submitted to the council in 2023

Loughborough MP Jeevun Sandher had taken to social media before the meeting to support the redevelopment, which the company previously said would provide 770 full-time jobs and about £50m of investment a year into the local economy.

Council leader Jewel Miah had also written to the committee to support the proposals.

At the meeting, Angie Fenton, speaking for the developers, said the buildings proposed for demolition could not be reused - and that delaying the decision ran the risk "that the development may never happen".

Officers and some of the committee members were worried the application contained "limited justification" for the demolition of locally listed buildings.

However, locally listed buildings do not share the same planning protection as nationally recognised sites.

A number of the brick buildings on the right have been demolished in the last three years

The first factory was built on the site in the 1860s to manufacture parts for trains, before the Falcon Works was taken over by Anglo-American company Brush Electrical Engineering in 1889.

Janine Dykes, a built heritage expert from consultants RPS, said the harm to heritage from this development was "low because the elements being demolished have little to no architectural or historic interest".

Nine of the committee's 12 councillors agreed to defer the application to a future date to be decided.

In deferring the decision, councillors agreed to allow officers to determine the application if, following consultation on revised proposals, they recommended approval.

If the updated proposals do not get officer approval, the application will come back to the committee.