Authorities and highways bosses say there are ‘concerns’ over how roads will cope
Tailbacks on the M1 motorway in the East Midlands (Image: Ashley Cooper via Getty Images)
More warehouses could be built near motorways in Leicestershire with a major ‘need’ identified, it has been revealed.
North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC), along with other councils across the country, is set to agree a statement of common ground that identifies planning need across areas of Leicestershire following an update to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in 2024.
The NPPF is the Government’s rulebook for planning, which sets out policies on housing, the economy, and the environment and guides local councils on what to build and where.
According to documents, nearly 3.97 million square meters of additional warehousing floorspace across Leicester and Leicestershire will be needed between 2023 and 2046.
Out of all council areas across the country, North West Leicestershire is set to take the biggest chunk, with the district taking almost 40 percent of the warehousing need, or almost 1.1 million square metres from now until 2046.
Other surrounding councils are also set to take their share – however, NWLDC will take the largest share over the next 20 years, with Leicester City, Melton, Oadby and Wigston set to take none.
Highway corridors have been identified as potential sites for warehousing including the M1 near junctions 23a and 24, parts of the M42, and the Bardon area near junction 22.
Junction 23a and Junction 24 are set to take the largest chunk of the proposed floorspace, with 728,673 sqm being identified for potential warehousing.
North West Leicestershire District Council said even though the need it there, there isn’t enough space(Image: Leicester Mercury / Chris Gordon)
Despite being assigned these massive targets, documents reveal that the council currently lacks sufficient viable land to fulfil them.
NWLDC has said that while it has found suitable sites around the M42 corridor, there is currently an insufficient supply of available land near the M1 junctions 23a and 24, as well as in Bardon, due to planning constraints.
The council has said it plans to allocate the available sites, implement a new policy to assess unallocated sites if they come forward, and re-evaluate the entire situation when the new local plan is reviewed in five years.
As a result of the additional need, Leicestershire County Council has raised ‘concerns’ about how the county’s road network will cope with other councils, saying that the plan would be “challenging”.
NWDLC’s full council is set to meet this week to agree and approve the statement.