In March 2016, Gallagher Estates secured outline planning consent for circa 2.5 million sq ft of employment land immediately north of Wixams.
The site had been identified as expansion land for Wixams to allow the development of employment uses to support the developing new town.
The site is well located, having easy access via the A6/A421 to the M1 and A1. This connectivity has made the site a sought-after location for large B8 warehousing, and in 2017 Gallagher Estates sold land to two major retail operators for the development of two distribution units of 1 million sq ft and 825,000 sq ft.
Combined, these units will provide approximately 800 full-time jobs.
Issues that had to be overcome in the planning and design stage include traffic, visual impact and noise.
Ground conditions were particularly challenging with a local aquifer plus running sand to contend with.
The proximity of the site to the Midland Mainline railway required the agreement of, and the need to enter into an asset protection agreement, with Network Rail.
This substantial employment use further underpins Wixams as a key strategic location.
