Market Harborough: Council approves business park expansion funding

An extra 16 business units could be built in the new development

Hundreds of jobs could be created after funding for a business park expansion was approved.

Leicestershire County Council voted to free up £16.5m to extend Airfield Business Park, near Market Harborough.

Plans would see 16 new small units, two drive-throughs, and one large industrial unit added to the site.

The scheme is expected to create 20 jobs through the construction phase and another 240 once complete.

Once a World War Two Royal Air Force base, the land was bought by the council in 2016 with 12 industrial units built in the development's first phase.

The council's cabinet approved funding and the masterplan for the newest phase at a meeting last week.

It is expected the latest phase will bring the council more than £1m a year when the work is completed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The authority has said it has already pre-let 70% of the proposed units and it expects even more to be filled before construction is complete.

While the council has approved the business case and funding for the scheme, planning permission will still need to be granted before any work can begin.

Full plans are expected to be submitted to the authority's planning department by next month at the latest, with work starting in 2025 and completing about a year later if approved.