padel centre application submitted

The BBC news website reports on an application we have supported in Nottingham – Plans submitted for new Nottingham £1m padel complex – BBC News. Adjacent to the Showcase Cinema on the car park of the Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club, the scheme will provide a padel centre with five courts and a clubhouse. Our Flood Risk Assessment and Drainage Strategy report found the site to be entirely within Flood Zone 2, although the analysis of flood data obtained from the Environment Agency demonstrated the site to be outside and raised above modelled flood events. Visuals by Leonard Design below.

Ashbourne access technically approved

As well as the big stuff, we can sweat the details, and this small but perfectly formed scheme of Section 278 works was granted technical approval by Derbyshire County Council this week. The enhancement to Derby’s Ashbourne Business Park access widens the footway to create a shared footway/cycleway, enabling sustainable travel to the employment units. It is part of a wider scheme of works we are currently designing in detail.

success at Selston

After a lengthy determination period, complicated by the need to demonstrate to Nottinghamshire County Council that two points of access were not necessary, Ashfield District Council have resolved to grant outline consent to a residential development of up to 149 dwellings and a retail unit of up to 5,000sqft (465sqm) on land north of Alfreton Road in Selston. Our access design is shown below. It was complicated by the need to relocate a bus stop, and find a suitable location that did not block the numerous private drives, while also retaining a disabled parking space and introducing a refuge island to allow pedestrian crossings.

Corkscrew Lane consented

On 9 December 2025, North West Leicestershire District Council resolved to grant consent to a development of up to 46,451sqm GIA of B2 (industrial) and/or B8 (storage or distribution) units on Corkscrew Lane, south of the A511 Ashby Road between Ashby de la Zouch and Coalville. Our Transport Assessment included the design of an upgrade to the A511/Corkscrew Lane junction, to introduce traffic signals and ensure safe turning movements for all vehicles.

313 Mapperley Plains

Much of what we do is large scale or strategic. But not always. The same principles can be applied to a development of three dwellings, like the one at 313 Mapperley Plains in Nottingham approved by Gedling Borough Council on 14 November. As always, the access must be in the right location, be of adequate width, provide for all users, and have sufficient visibility. Refuse collection must be considered, along with access for the fire and rescue service, and turning space for delivery vehicles. Our early advice, in this case sought by IBA Planning, can feed into the detailed layout, like the excellent one shown below by DL Design Studio.

Northampton Gateway continues to emerge

We are pleased to report our latest approval at SEGRO’s Northampton Gateway Strategic Rail Freight Interchange at M1 J15. The Secretary of State for Transport has approved the amendment to the DCO to increase the mezzanine floor space allowance by 1.2 million sqft. That is something we have been working to achieve for about a year, and is the latest in the series of applications to assist SEGRO as occupiers come forward with their specific needs.

approval at Mill Lane, Huthwaite

Ashfield District Council have approved MyPad’s planning application for 104 affordable houses at a site at the end of Mill Lane in Huthwaite. Supported by our Transport Assessment, the application addressed the extension of the cul-de-sac to serve additional dwellings, demonstrating the site to be well located, accessible by all modes of transport, and therefore sustainable. In a late twist, the Council voted unanimously to approve the application against officer’s recommendation to refuse on the grounds of highway safety.