Speedy Approval for Prospero Ansty Business Park

David Lock Associates recently secured full planning permission for three flexible B2/B8 units at Prospero Ansty Business Park in Rugby Borough, which would deliver a combined floorspace of over 50,000 sq.m. The two full (detailed) planning applications were submitted to Rugby Borough Council in May 2022, reported to its Planning Committee in August 2022 and permitted in September 2022, after the Secretary of State declined to call in the applications. The planning application process was a speedy 19 weeks from start to finish, for two major applications on a designated Employment Site, but within the Green Belt, so needed to demonstrate very special circumstances. Prospero Ansty Park is a former Rolls Royce manufacturing site that is being redeveloped into what will be one of the UK’s most significant business parks. It is situated on a 196 acre site, 6 miles to the north-east of Coventry city centre and 9 miles to the north-west of Rugby. The site is easily accessed from Junction 2 of the M6 and Junction 1 of the M69, enabling ready access to the motorway network and national and international connections. DLA worked as the planning consultants on the project for the client Manse Opus, co-ordinating a team of co-consultants consisting of Michael Sparks Associates, IPaD, CWA, Barry Chinn Associates, Engineering Services Consultancy, Ecology Solutions, Delta Simons, CPW, Discovery and RSK. DLA also worked closely with planning officers Chris Kingham and Nathan Lowde from Rugby Borough Council, to ensure a fast track route to the Council’s Planning Committee and a unanimous vote of approval from Committee members within 13 weeks of submission of the application.