The opportunity to expand Mercia Park

The expansion site provides an opportunity to capitalise on the success of Mercia Park to create an employment hub at A/M42 Junction 11.

North West Leicestershire District Council’s draft Local Plan has proposed the land to the north of Junction 11, M42 as a potential allocation for strategic distribution, recognising that new development at this site could capitalise on the profile and infrastructure at Mercia Park.

The 28 hectare site is currently agricultural land and bound by hedgerows and fields to the north, the A42 to the east, Junction 11 of the M42 to the south, and the A444 to the west.

If approved, the proposals for the expansion of the site would:

  • Create circa 420 new jobs at DSV and around 1,000 jobs in total (on site)
  • Generate an estimated £2.8 million per year in business rates
Site opportunities and constraints.
Site opportunities and constraints. Click image to enlarge Site opportunities and constraints. Pinch to zoom

The emerging site layout has been carefully prepared to respond to site constraints and opportunities:

  • Enhance existing boundary planting to help screen the development as far as possible.
  • The site is within the River Mease Special Area of Conservation (SAC) catchment area although the inclusion of appropriate mitigation will protect water quality and biodiversity here.
  • There are listed buildings in the locality; the Church of St Michael at Stretton en le Field (Grade II*) to the north and Park Farmhouse (Grade II) approximately 340m to the west. Consideration of the impacts to views and setting will be assessed.
  • Two nearby Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) and appropriate ecology surveys have been undertaken to ensure these habitats and ecological features are protected from future development.

Why is the site ideally placed to accommodate an expansion of Mercia Park?

  • It provides businesses with excellent links to the strategic highway network in the “golden triangle” where a significant proportion of the country’s population is within a 4½ hour drive
  • Expansion would capitalise on the profile and success of Mercia Park with the potential to share infrastructure
  • New areas of amenity within its landscape would be created for the benefit of future employees and local residents
  • The site is visually well contained due to the topography
  • The majority of the existing trees and hedgerows will be retained as part of the development of the site, with extensive supplemental planting proposed
  • There are no listed buildings on site and the site does not fall within a Conservation Area

Our planning application

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