BASE HEADER

Yes

ID sylw: 108301

Derbyniwyd: 07/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Indurent Propco A3 Ltd

Asiant : Turley

Indurent Propco A3 Ltd (‘Indurent’) raises no concerns in principle with the new settlement proposals for Long Marston
Airfield (ref. E1), which incorporates the Meon Vale Business Park. Allocation of this area in the new local plan should create
a presumption that the redevelopment of the Business Park for residential use would be acceptable in principle. The wording
of the relevant policy would need to ensure that any other policies in the emerging plan which resist the loss of existing
employment land would not apply in the determination of future planning applications.
Indurent would encourage the councils to consider how the new settlement could deliver new employment floorspace on
the undeveloped parcels of land to offset the likely future loss of the Meon Vale Business Park. Delivering employment
floorspace on greenfield land is much more viable economically. Locating these floorspace further north, closer to the land
earmarked for a future train station, would also create a much more sustainable development offering public modes of
transport.

About the Site in E1:

Introduction to Indurent
These representations are submitted on behalf of Indurent Propco A3 Ltd (‘Indurent’). Indurent are one of the UK's leading
providers of industrial and logistics warehousing, with a range of light industrial, mid and big box spaces. Blackstone
established Indurent in July 2024 by bringing together St Modwen Logistics and Industrials REIT.
As part of this merger, Indurent incorporated Meon Vale Business Park into its portfolio. It is the freehold owner of the site
and currently rents out floorspace for industrial, distribution and storage uses.
Background to Meon Vale Business Park
Following the closure of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) Engineers Depot in 1999, the wider Meon Vale site was subject to
several planning applications for temporary use for commercial purposes.
St. Modwen Developments acquired the depot in 2004 and subsequently secured planning permission for two major
schemes of residential-led mixed-use development (which covered four phases of residential development).
Phases 1 – 3 of the Meon Vale redevelopment was approved as part of a hybrid planning permission granted in February
2010 (LPA ref. 09/00835/FUL). The outline element of the permission comprised the creation of a leisure village, holiday
homes, central leisure facilities, and up to 500 dwellings. Meon Vale Business Park was included within the full element of
this application. Permission was granted for “the retention of use of 80,374 sqm of existing industrial floor space and
associated hardstanding for Class B1(a), B1(c) and B8 uses, together with the retention of an existing trade vehicle auction use
(use class sui generis)”. The existing operations on the employment element of the site have been carried out under the
provisions of this, and subsequent, planning permissions.
Meon Vale Business Park measures around 30 hectares and comprises approximately 900,000 sqft of warehouse / industrial
and office space supplemented by a significant area of hardstanding. The site is bordered to the north by woodland / green
space, to the east and south by residential properties, and to the west by the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre (formerly
referred to as the ‘rail loop’ and Quinton Rail Technology Centre (QRTC)).
The vast majority of the site is located within Flood Zone 1 of the EA Flood Map, confirming that flood risk is not a significant
constraint to the development of the site. There are no notable statuary designations, heritage designations or listed
buildings within or in the immediate vicinity of the site. Furthermore, the site is not in the Green Belt and is located outside
the Cotswolds National Landscape.

Future of Meon Vale Business Park
The Business Park is reasonably well-occupied with current leases running through to 2028/29. However, the buildings are
falling into a state of disrepair. The units were constructed decades ago as part of the sites previous use as a Ministry of
Defence depot and are coming to the end of their economic life. Refurbishing the units is not a viable option for Indurent as
the costs will far exceed the future rental values (due to historic issues with asbestos etc). Accordingly, the buildings will
continue to deteriorate in the short to medium term.

Added to this, the site is unlikely to attract high-end occupiers given its location. The site lies a significant distance from the
strategic highway network (over 30-minute drive to the M5 and M40) and is accessed from an unclassified road of residential
character (Wellington Avenue) which leads from a single lane carriageway B-road (Campden Road).
Therefore, Indurent will need to begin looking at options for developing the site. Otherwise, the likelihood is the site will be
become vacant well before the new South Warwickshire Local Plan (SWLP) period expires in 2050.
The current use of the site is generally for storage and distribution, with the majority of the site leased to Ford for vehicle
storage. The site has around 200 full-time equivalent employees. There isn’t a market demand for high-specification
employment floorspace in this location. Therefore, the loss of the site for employment uses would have little impact upon the
local economy or local employment figures.
Indurent is proposing that the emerging SWLP includes a policy which would allow Indurent to respond flexibly to future
economic conditions over the next 25 years to allow redevelopment of the site for alternative uses.
Added to this, given the status of the site as brownfield land and as a former MoD site, the ground conditions will likely
influence the type of uses which will be viable for development.
The potential for the redevelopment of the Business Park (in part or whole) for residential use is clear. The use would
complement the existing 1,050 dwellings on Meon Vale (and the additional dwellings in Meon Way Gardens to the south),
while future residents would benefit from the existing services and facilities on Meon Vale (primary school, village hall,
convenience store, cafes, leisure centre, sports pitches, open spaces). Unlike new settlements, which are notorious for slow
delivery rates (Long Marston Airfield and Gaydon / Lighthorne Heath as relevant examples within Stratford district), the key
infrastructure already exists at Meon Vale which gives certainty of delivery if Indurent decided to promote the Business Park
for redevelopment to residential use during the plan period. It would also benefit the local planning authorities as the site
could be delivered early in the plan period.
In light of the above, Indurent has instructed Turley to submit representations to the emerging SWLP to this effect. It is
important that these matters are addressed now, within the Part 1 plan, rather than deferring to Part 2 of the SWLP.