Project Overview
Acting on behalf of Magenta Storage Ltd & Corby No 2 Limited, Bell Cornwell has secured full planning permission for a new business park on the fringe of Corby, Northamptonshire. The scheme will see the delivery of three new buildings with a range of employment uses and services including: a three storey self-storage facility with 4,466 sqm of floorspace and independent offices, nine units for flexible industrial use or storage including ancillary trade and retail counters, plus a drive thru coffee shop located off the busy A43.
The application site was largely undeveloped and located within the open countryside whereby adopted policy outlines a general presumption against all forms of development. In this case we identified that, during the Local Plan process, the Council had recommended modifications to the urban boundary to include land that has planning permission for development.
The site is within close proximity of another which had a recent but unimplemented approval for a business park. The site itself has had minor work implemented from a previous planning permission granted 10 years ago. These historical planning matters, along with the site’s good access to the strategic road network led to its approval. With our evidence, the Council could treat the site as falling within the main built-up area of the town, which paved the way for the development to be accepted in principle.
The site itself presented a number of other challenges such as the need for new vehicular access onto the busy A43, complex surface water drainage issues, the consideration of overhead cables and the impact on the nearby town centre. However, Bell Cornwell was able to work alongside a great design team who overcame all the issues raised both prior to submission and during the course of the application. Through productive discussions with the Council, we secured a positive recommendation at officer level with that support carrying through to the planning committee. The application was received incredibly well by the committee and was approved with no requirement for a section 106 agreement or financial contributions.
This development is the next step in Magenta Storage Ltd’s expansion plan which will see a combination of similar “ground-up” developments alongside conversion projects to complement the existing portfolio of assets in Banbury, Nottingham, Oxford, St Albans and Acton, West London.
