A GROWING business park was approved for further expansion at the planning meeting held virtually on Wednesday, July 8.
Lambs Farm in Swallowfield has had 23 applications to expand the site since 2012. Now, a further three business units have been approved.
The application was originally listed by Cllr Stuart Munro, Conservative councillor for Swallowfield, who was concerned the application “encroaches into the countryside”.
One resident who commented on the plans said: “The application is on land which was never part of the business park, it was a field which belonged to a neighbour.”
Cllr Carl Doran, Labour councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates said: “I regard this as unreasonable, encroaching on the countryside and I don’t think we should have allowed this in the first place.”
He rejected the plans, along with Cllr Malcom Richards, Conservative councilor for Norreys, who was worried about the continued expansion of the park.
But the majority of the committee decided there was significant evidence for the need to expand again.
Planning officer Stefan Fludger said: “In terms of the need of expansion for business, there have been a number of applications at the site recently which have shown a need to expand the business”.
He also explained that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) supports the expansion of businesses in the countryside.
The three units fall under B1 classifications, and are suitable for offices, research and development and light industrial processes.
They will be built on existing parking allocated for lorries.
