Enderby: Plans for logistics hub relodged despite concerns

Enderby residents have objected to plans for the new logistics hub on the edge of the village

A new application for a huge warehouse scheme on the edge of a Leicestershire village has been filed.

The Drummond Estate's first plan for the Enderby Logistics Hub, off Leicester Lane, was rejected by Blaby District Council in October.

Residents are concerned the hub could swallow up the countryside and clog local roads.

The refusal went against advice from the authority's planning officers, who said all concerns could be mitigated.

The decision to refuse the application was met with applause from residents in the public gallery. Now, the local community is again gearing up to fight the development after a new application was submitted.

The Drummond Estate said in a statement the planning application was "entirely compliant" with the Local Plan policy for the site.

It said it would deliver 106,830 sq m of advanced warehouse and distribution space with integral offices, providing flexibility for flagship headquarter space as well as the ability to sub-divide plots for smaller businesses.

But some 900 objections have already been filed against the new scheme, compared to 14 people coming out in favour of it.

The first application, submitted in 2019, would have seen four large logistics warehouses and a training centre built on the site next to the Enderby Park and Ride.

The new plan no longer proposes the training centre, but instead includes three general industrial buildings in addition to the original four.

'Grave impact'

Vehicle access to the site would be from Leicester Lane, with proposals to upgrade nearby roads and improve the bus network, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Campaign group Snub The Hub has set up a petition, which has had 500 signatures in two weeks, and encouraged residents to object to the plan.

The petition reads: "If approved, the development will result in the loss of one of the last remaining green spaces between our village and Leicester city.

"It is essential for residents' mental and physical wellbeing, and the loss of this community asset will have a grave impact on local access to wildlife and the outdoors."

Martin Ward, on behalf of The Drummond Estate, said: "The application is policy compliant and supports the council's allocation of this site for employment use in its adopted Local Plan, as well as meeting the identified need of 30.65 hectares of employment land in the district."