Frasers Group given green light for new Warwickshire HQ
In the end the committee voted seven to five in favour of the application
Frasers Group has reportedly been given planning permission to build new headquarters on green belt land in Warwickshire, according to reports from the BBC.
The site will include a 100-room hotel, warehouses, research and development facilities, swimming pool and sports pitches.
According to the BBC, it comes as the company was said to have “outgrown” its current site at Shirebrook, Derbyshire.
It reportedly believes the new HQ 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.
The council received about 200 objections to the scheme, including from eight parish councils.
In the end the committee voted seven to five in favour of the application.
Councillor Michael Moran spoke in favour of the development saying: “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.”
