Godwin Developments has submitted an outline planning application for a range of commercial uses for its 9.5-acre site adjacent to the A47 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The application for the development, called Wisbech Gateway, proposes a flexible mix of uses including industrial, petrol station, drive-thru and drive-to, and hotel alongside associated infrastructure, landscaping and car parking spaces. Set at a key strategic point in the road network of the region – the main arterial route between the Midlands and Norfolk – the site benefits from high visibility, excellent connectivity and road frontage. This makes it very suitable for a range of occupiers such as PFS and coffee operators, quick service restaurants, hotels, third-party logistics, industrial owner-occupiers, manufacturing businesses, EV charging operators and many others. All of these can benefit from a population of over 110,000 people within a twenty-minute drive as well as passing road traffic of more than 6.5 million vehicles per year.
The area is a thriving business location with major companies including DHL, Nestle, and Travis Perkins in close proximity. At just over 1.5 miles from Wisbech town center, the largest town in Fenland, the land parcel also benefits from local amenities and a nearby customer and workforce base that can access the site via public transport. The application seeks to build on an already approved detailed application for access and is designed to bring forward high-quality mixed-use industrial and commercial development at this gateway site.
The application is for a flexible range of uses and floorspace areas:
- Industrial (B2/B8/Eg(iii)) – up to 5,574m²
- Hotel (C1) – up to 3,768m²
- Petrol Filling Station with ancillary retail sales (sui generis/Class E(a)) – up to 465m²
- Drive-thru (E(b)/sui generis) – up to 400m²
- Drive-to diner (E(b)) – up to 555m²
Whilst the site’s layout is a matter for a subsequent reserved matters application, Godwin has submitted three indicative masterplan layouts to demonstrate how the mix and quantum of uses proposed could be arranged on the site. The potential benefits of the proposals are significant, with the creation of more than 500 jobs in construction and operation and economic value calculated at €578m (£500m).
Nick Harrison, Planning Director at Godwin Developments, said: “This application is grounded in policy and responds to Fenland District Council’s Local Plan which seeks to encourage employment to the south of Wisbech, along the A47 corridor. The proposal offers sustainable development for the town, will target a BREEAM Very Good scheme, and through the provision of new soft landscaping, also significantly enhance the visual appearance of the site.”
