en.Wedoany.com Reported - A large-scale industrial/logistics park development plan in the East Midlands region of the UK has been approved, expected to create over a thousand jobs once operational.
The park, developed by Frontier Estates, is located off Old Cosgrove Road in the Old Stratford area of Northamptonshire, covering approximately 98.8 acres. The site was formerly the Furtho Pit gravel quarry, later backfilled with inert waste and restored to agricultural use. Named Frontier Park, the project will construct nine employment units with a total gross floor area of approximately 750,714 square feet.
The Strategic Planning Committee of West Northamptonshire Council reviewed the application on June 30, 2026, seeking full planning permission. According to the plan, a new country park will be created in the eastern part of the site, featuring native woodland planting areas, attenuation ponds, wetlands, native shrubbery, and wildflower meadows.
Once operational, the project is expected to directly support approximately 955 on-site jobs, with an additional 330 jobs created during the construction phase.
A total of 3,679 public comments were received regarding the development proposal. Of these, 3,453 expressed opposition, 106 were general comments, and 21 did not clearly indicate opposition or support. Despite this, the assessment report submitted to the committee recommended approval of the application.
The report noted that while the proposal conflicts with some guiding principles in the Employment Allocations SPD, particularly regarding building height and scale not fully meeting relevant guidance requirements, identified negative impacts include: loss of open mosaic habitat and associated invertebrate communities on previously developed land, with uncertain success of mitigation measures; minor impact on visual amenity; loss of best and most versatile agricultural land; and less than substantial harm to the environment of the Grand Union Canal Conservation Area.
The report also emphasized that the proposal will bring significant benefits, including providing a publicly accessible country park, achieving biodiversity net gain, and generating substantial economic benefits through job creation and high-quality employment space. After comprehensive assessment, the committee concluded that the identified harms do not clearly and significantly outweigh the benefits of the proposal.
A Design and Access Statement stated that the development of the site presents an opportunity to create a "well-considered and carefully designed new industrial/logistics park" offering a variety of employment opportunities.
