Commercial building for grassland at huge business park -- latest Ashfield plans

Ashfield District Council has received the application from Clowes Developments, one of the UK’s largest privately-owned property investment and development organisations, based in Derbyshire.

Clowes owns the Castlewood Business Park, off Pinxton Lane, and wants to construct a new commercial building on plot 12, which is currently a piece of open agricultural land.

The grassland sits to the north of Farmwell Lane and to the south of the A38 Alfreton Road. It spans more than seven acres, or three hectares, and Clowes has submitted the application for a three-storey building that would be suitable for general industrial use and also storage and distribution.

Rising to 12 metres in height, it would comprise almost 10,000 square metres on the ground floor, with 362 square metres on the first and second floors for offices.

It would come with parking spaces for 94 cars, seven disabled vehicles, 14 LGVs and 20 cycles, plus 12 bays for electric vehicle (EV) charging.

The business park, which first opened more than 20 years ago, is already home to an array of companies based at headquarters, buildings or warehouses there,

Its current occupiers include business giants such as the Co-op, Parker Knoll, Greggs, Howdens, Screwfix, Costa Coffee, Midland Aerospace, Vaillant, Shell, Londis, Middlebrook Transport, Alstom and Arrow Group.

The council’s planning officers are currently considering the scheme and hope to make a decision or recommendation by the deadline of Saturday, July 12.

Meanwhile, another change to Ashfield’s business landscape is planned for the Low Moor Industrial Estate in Kirkby, where electronics company Glenair UK Ltd has lodged a planning application.

The firm, based at the Oakham Business Park in Mansfield, wants to change the use of a warehouse at Unit 2 on Sidings Road from storage and distribution use to general industrial use as well.

Glenair says this would allow some assembly of component parts that would be stored on the premises, but the plan would not entail any alterations to the appearance of the building.

Other planning applications received by Ashfield Council in recent days include these:

Hacienda, Coxmoor Road, Sutton – new dwelling, as previously approved in 2024.

47 Church Street, Sutton – felling of trees protected by preservation order.

Land at junction of Newark Road and Coxmoor Road, Sutton – reserved matters application for appearance, landscaping, layout and scale after outline approval previously granted for construction of up to 300 dwellings.

3 Victoria Street, Selston – single-storey rear extension.

Larwood Park Sports and Social Club, Twickenham Road, Sutton – erection of portal frame shed, with associated parking, to accommodate eight padel tennis courts, with associated changing rooms, cage and seating areas. (This has been reported in a separate Chad news story)

8 Lathkill Drive, Selston – application for lawful development certificate for single-storey rear extension.

Wansley Hall, Tithe Barn, Lower Bagthorpe, Underwood – construction of outbuilding, comprising garage, car port and storage at front.

Land off Fackley Road, Sutton – application for approval of details relating to construction management, surface water management, ecological management strategy and bird and bat boxes, with regard to planning permission previously granted.

12 Forge Mill Grove, Hucknall – single-storey extensions at front, side and rear.