We are pleased to report the final hurdle having been crossed in gaining consent for a large industrial project at Padge Hall Farm, south of the A5 at Hinckley and east of The Long Shoot in Nuneaton. Mountpark submitted a hybrid application seeking outline consent for 1.4 million sqft of B2/B8 floorspace, plus detailed consent for Unit 1, that will provide 600,000sqft to be used by logistics company Syncreon. The cross boundary application, ably marshalled by Oxalis Planning, has been granted consent by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Rugby Borough Council, and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.
All our services were involved. The Transport Planning team undertook strategic traffic modelling, detailed modelling of 15 study area junctions, and micro simulation modelling of the A5 corridor, in order to gain no objections from National Highways, Warwickshire County Council, and Leicestershire County Council. The proposals include a new access on the A5, a scheme of mitigation works to the A5/A47 Dodwells Roundabout, pedestrian and cycle measures along the A5, and enhancements to the local bus service. A key feature of the proposals is the lowering of the A5 carriageway under the railway bridge on the eastern boundary of the site – the most bashed bridge in the UK. Each strike is estimated to cost the local economy about £20m, often resulting in the closure of the A5, leading to significant delay and congestion on the surrounding roads. Our Infrastructure Design team demonstrated a scheme is deliverable, and our Water Management team gained acceptance that the works can be appropriately drained, with National Highways concluding that the works would provide “substantial betterment to the operation of the existing A5”. We now look forward to the detailed design phase of the project. DFC Architecture’s illustrative masterplan below.
