A 120 acre warehouse park in the middle of the East Midlands has been granted planning permission at appeal after councillors originally questioned the location.
The Castle Donington development – just off the M1 between Leicester, Nottingham and Derby –attracted objections from hundreds of people and organisations over concerns about its impact on the local countryside.
St Modwen put in an application for the land south of Junction 1 of the A50 in 2019 saying it would meet "immediate demand" for warehousing and create thousands of new jobs. However, North West Leicestershire District Council rejected the plans.
St Modwen appealed that decision and Government Inspector Chris Baxter has now found in its favour, saying “The proposal would not have a harmful effect on the character and appearance of the surrounding area and landscape".
In his report Mr Baxter found there was a "significant separation" between the proposed warehouses and nearby homes, with "sufficient open space" to provide visual breaks for residents from the warehouses.
He said: "The proposal would not undermine the physical and perceived separation and open undeveloped character between nearby settlements."
Opposition was also raised about the prospect of further warehousing in the area, with a number of similar developments greenlit in recent times too.
St Modwen said it believed demand was there and the warehouses would contribute up to £80 million annually to the regional economy.
Mr Baxter found that due to "established road networks", the proposed development "would be well integrated with existing development in the locality".
