Mike Ashley wins backing for green belt mega-HQ

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Mike Ashley wins backing for green belt mega-HQ

Mike Ashley’s retail empire has won official backing for

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, despite a finding that it will permanently damage the county’s green belt.

The 275-acre Frasers facility on farmland in Ansty has been recommended for approval by planning officers, even though they found that it would “clearly cause substantial and permanent harm to the green belt by reducing its openness”.

In a 208-page report, planning officers ruled that the benefits of the development justify

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, deeming it “very special circumstances”.

The project consists of five warehouses totalling 3.3m sq ft, each one purportedly ******* than the village itself; a 100-bed hotel; a space to test out retail concepts; offices; a gym, swimming pool and other sports facilities; a training academy with classrooms and an auditorium; a nursery; multi-storey car parks; and a helipad.

Benefits from the site include a potential £69m economic boost to the ***, and potential support for up to 750 additional shops with 11,000 new jobs across Britain. A 10pc boost to the economy of the nearby Rugby economy is also anticipated.

It is thought the headquarters will be the biggest facility of its kind in the ***, with planning officers at the Labour-run Rugby Borough Council noting that

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, McLaren, Dyson, Nike and Adidas have similar so-called campuses internationally. The base is designed by Grimshaw, the architecture firm behind the Eden Project.

Planning officers said: “The totality of the economic, environmental and social benefits have been considered and the totality of the benefits clearly outweigh the combined weight of the harm to the green belt and any other harm, including the retail and landscape harm [and] heritage harm.

“Consequently, the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development … exist and the application should be approved.

“National economic benefits hold substantial weight in the balance.”

The retailer, which was founded by Mr Ashley in 1982 and owns brands including Sports Direct, Flannels, Jack Wills and Evans Cycles, will also produce around £9m in business rates for the council.

The fundamental aim underpinning green belt policy is to “keep land permanently open”

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. In this case, the plans were deemed to narrow the gap between Coventry and the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth.

Other “harms” identified included a “significant adverse impact” on Coventry city centre. Its city council warned of a potential 4pc loss in turnover since the headquarters would likely lead to fewer shoppers and rival stores closing.

Plans for the new headquarters were met with 194 letters of objection, but just one in favour.

Campaigners are angry that this designated farm land is being used for other purposes.

Jerry Foss, who leads the Save Ansty Green Belt campaign group, warned that farmland “can’t be brought back” once lost.

Mr Foss said: “It is, of course, an issue made by the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer last year that such land should be protected due to the value of farm land which is required to secure food supply in the ***.

“As Sir Keir [previously] stated, ‘Losing a farm is not like losing any other business – it can’t come back’.

“It is therefore rather unfortunate that, given the current Treasury proposals for inheritance tax on farms, that farmers will potentially lose out on profits in farming businesses and see the ***** of land as one of the few ways they can protect their investments and finances.”

Mr Foss claimed that the recommendation to approve the application “seeks to place a high priority on low-value imported goods” from “low-waged countries” over the “value of *** creative manufacturing industries”.

The plans will be discussed and voted on at a council committee meeting this week.

Frasers bought the land for £53.5m three years ago.

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