The project involved the promotion of a major industrial and logistics development at Junction 12 of the M40, Gaydon, comprising approximately 80,000 sq m of employment floorspace. The scheme will deliver 1,786 direct on-site jobs, a range of employment units, significant economic benefits, 2.3 ha of new public open space, biodiversity net gain and investment in sustainable transport infrastructure.

The site was not allocated for employment development and lies outside any defined settlement boundary. However, the Local Plan supports employment development in the countryside where an identified need cannot otherwise be met. The planning case therefore needed to demonstrate both the need for additional industrial and logistics floorspace and the benefits of bringing the development forward in this location.

We led the planning strategy, EIA coordination, planning application and subsequent appeal, working closely with the client and wider consultant team. The planning application followed extensive engagement with officers and statutory consultees, as well as a number of design iterations to address technical matters.

Following the unanimous refusal of the application by Planning Committee in late 2025, we lodged an appeal and led the planning case at public inquiry. The appeal centred on the planning balance, particularly the significant landscape and visual effects of the proposal weighed against the immediate need for industrial and logistics land.

Our Analytics & Research team prepared the Socio-Economic and Human Health Assessments, providing clear evidence of the development's economic and social benefits.

The appeal was allowed and planning permission granted for the development. The Inspector recognised the substantial landscape and visual effects of the scheme but agreed that its economic and social benefits decisively outweighed those impacts.

The Inspector also attached very substantial weight to the immediate need for industrial and logistics land, noting that the emerging Local Plan was unlikely to address this need for at least five to ten years.