Plans for new Frasers Group HQ approved

Plans have been approved for a new headquarters for Frasers Group on green belt land in Warwickshire.

The retail group said it had outgrown its current site at Shirebrook, Derbyshire, and proposed a "campus headquarters" on 112.9 hectares (279 acres) near Ansty.

The site will include a 100-room hotel, warehouses, research and development facilities, swimming pool and sports pitches.

Frasers Group said it would boost jobs in the Rugby borough by 15% and allow it to expand as a business, contributing an extra £69m to the national economy.

Members of the borough council's planning committee were asked to weigh up these economic benefits against the loss of green belt land.

Planning officers also noted the development would mean a loss of agricultural land and hit trade for local businesses.

But the meeting also heard the site could boost the local economy by 10%, create learning and leisure facilities - which could be enjoyed by the local community - and open up access to wildlife in the area.

A report which went before the committee concluded this created "very special circumstances" which justified the loss of the green belt land.

The council received about 200 objections to the scheme, including from eight parish councils.

Gail Ash, from the Save Ansty Green Belt campaign group, urged councillors to look at alternatives sites not in the green belt.

"It's not just for the benefit for us lucky enough to live in the village, it's for everyone and for future generations," she said.

Warwickshire councillor Adrian Warwick also spoke out against the plans and said: "I don't think I've ever seen a report with so many statutory objectors."

He called for the decision to be deferred and said he believed "policies, the green belt and these people in these villages matter more than money".

But Rupert Visick, speaking for Frasers Group, said the location chosen was the "optimal site" and would allow the business to expand and support another 750 stores, generating an extra 11,000 jobs.

He also said Frasers Group was "incredibly proud" of the design of the site.

Councillor Michael Moran spoke in favour of the development and said: "It's clear to me the development does have significant benefits."

Fellow Labour member Tony Freeman also supported the application and said the council had to show ambition and grasp the opportunity.

He said: "This sort of stuff doesn't come along every couple of years, it comes along once in a generation, so it needs to be very carefully considered."

Conservative councillor Adam Daly opposed the application though and said he was "not completely sold on the economic benefit".

"The benefits of scheme, whilst they are extensive, cannot outweigh the immeasurable harm to the green belt," he concluded.

The committee voted seven to five in favour of the application.

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