Welcome to the consultation website for proposals at MIRA South Site, Nuneaton.
Horiba MIRA is the owner’ of MIRA Technology Park and has recently entered into a development partnership with Evans Randall Investors to develop future phases of the new Technology Park.
Proposals for MIRA South Site will provide new high-quality employment space, together with accesses, a new link road, landscaping, sustainable drainage and other associated infrastructure.
Planning Application Update – December 2023
Further to the changes in relation to transport and highways design the project team continued to engage with North Warwickshire Borough Council (NWBC) and National Highways to ensure the proposed road network appropriately serves the new development and existing routes. With that in mind a further Transport Assessment Addendum (II) has been submitted to NWBC. You can download the TAA (II) here: Part 1 ; Part 2: Part 3.
The changes to the previous TA Addendum are specifically:
Removal of “Left in Left Out” junctions at A5/Woodford Lane and A5/Drayton Lane
This is no longer proposed and instead a financial contribution will be provided via a Section 106 Agreement to a safety enhancement scheme now to be advanced by National Highways themselves. Further detail is provided in Section 6 of the TAA(II).
Upgrade works to Higham Roundabout on the A5
No works were previously proposed to this roundabout, but following discussions with National Highways, enhancements to capacity are now proposed. Further detail is provided in Section 3 of the TAA (II). For ease the proposed junction improvement design can be found here.
All other proposals remain the same as submitted in October 2023.
View the additional information that has been submitted and send any comments you may have directly to the following councils.
- North Warwickshire Borough Council’s planning webpage Planning Public Access. Use the reference number PAP/2022/0423 to search for the application.
- Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s planning webpage Simple Search. Use the reference number 22/00882/OUT to search for the application.
- Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council’s planning webpage Search Planning Applications. Use the reference number 039188 to search for the application.
(Select the appropriate authority based on your residency).
Planning update – October 2023
Following submission of the planning application in August 2022, North Warwickshire Borough Council undertook public consultation to obtain comments from the local community and statutory consultees on the submitted plans and documents. In response to the comments made, the project team carried out further technical work. The additional work was completed and changes in relation to transport and highways design, set out in a Transport Addendum, and the parameter plan were submitted to the council.
The changes that have been made to the application are set out below.
A5 junctions at Woodford Lane and Drayton Lane “left in left out”
The junction design was updated to make the A5 junctions at Woodford Lane and Drayton Lane “left in left out” (LILO) junctions only. The proposed LILO junctions at Woodford Lane and Drayton Lane were intended to be safer and prevent “rat running” through Fenny Drayton village.
Weddington Lane to be downgraded and stopped off at Caldecote
The highway design was updated and it was proposed for the northern section of Weddington Lane to be downgraded and stopped off at Caldecote. The proposed closure of the northern section of Weddington Lane was intended to prevent vehicular traffic using the old A444 route past Caldecote and force traffic to use the rerouting of the A444 through the MIRA South Site onto the A5 (and vice versa), which was thought to improve the amenity of Caldecote village.
New safeguarded area to the northeast of the village hall of Caldecote
The parameter plan was updated to include a proposed new safeguarded area to the northeast of the village hall of Caldecote. The safeguarded area ensures that no building over 10m can be developed within 150m of the village hall. This change will further protect the setting of the Caldecote Conservation Area and the amenity of the residential properties adjacent to the village hall.
Diversion of footpath AE189
The parameter plan was updated to reflect a diversion of footpath AE189 to solely within the MIRA South Site boundary and enable the route to be classed as a Public Right of Way. This update replaces former proposals to divert footpath AE189 via Weddington Walk, which does not benefit from Public Right of Way status. This change was made to address concerns from the Ramblers Association and WCC Rights of Way Team.
Previous Planning Updates
In response to statutory comments in relation to flood risk and heritage impact, further technical work was undertaken, and supplementary information submitted.
- Flooding: In January 2023, Flood Risk Management Addendum was prepared and submitted to the Council to address the queries raised by Warwickshire County Council, the Lead Local Flood Authority, in relation to the proposed drainage strategy.
- Heritage: In March 2023, a heritage response was prepared and submitted to the Council in relation to the potential impact of the proposals on Caldecote Conservation Area (yet to be formally adopted). The response includes cross-sections and visual analysis of the proposed buildings within the landscape.
Meet the team
A specialist project team has been appointed to develop the proposals for MIRA South Site.
Click the logos below to find out more about the team.
Site Location
MIRA South Site is located on the outskirts of Nuneaton, to the south of the wider MIRA Technology Park. It is bounded by the A5 (Watling Street) to the north and the A444 (Weddington Lane) to the south. The site is approximately 500m north-east of the village of Caldecote. The Site lies within the administrative area of North Warwickshire, but borders Hinckley and Bosworth to the north and Nuneaton and Bedworth to the east.
The site is well connected by road services. There is direct access to the A5, which provides onwards connections to Atherstone, Nuneaton and Hinckley. The Weddington Walk cycleway and footpath run along the eastern edge of the site and the MIRA bus stop is accessible just north of the site.
Proposals
The proposals present a unique and exciting opportunity to develop new high-quality employment land and bring forward highly skilled jobs for local people. The vision is to provide a high-quality business park based on good sustainable principles creating new employment opportunities that will last for generations to come.
The proposals will incorporate a range of building sizes, suitable for manufacturing and research companies, with associated office space and storage, depending on tenant requirements. The range of employment unit sizes will be carefully judged to complement existing and proposed future land uses in the area and to meet the needs and requirements of businesses in the growing hi-tech manufacturing industry.
We are preparing an outline application (with all matters reserved other than access) for MIRA South Site to provide a strategic employment development park, together with accesses, new link road, landscaping, sustainable drainage and other associated infrastructure. The finer details of the proposals including layout, building size, appearance and landscaping will be form part of a future reserved matters application for the site.
The project team has listened to feedback from stakeholders and local residents, and where possible has made changes to the masterplan to address concerns raised. Our key changes and design ideas for the revised proposals include:
Revised site layout
Enhanced landscaping
Repositioning of footpaths and walkways
Improvements to Redgate Junction
Alteration to unit sizes
Country Park expansion
Re-design of the A444
The changes can be seen on the revised indicative masterplan below, click to enlarge the image and scroll to compare with the previous plan.
Revised Indicative Masterplan
Previous Indicative Masterplan
Vision
The current vision for the site will provide:
Transport and Access
Details relating to transport have been prepared by our Transport Consultants, Milestone and will be approved as part of the outline planning permission.
A5 MIRA Roundabout
The primary access to the development is based around the construction of a fourth arm to the southern side of the existing MIRA Roundabout on the A5 Watling Street.
At the MIRA roundabout on the A5 Watling Street a field access track is presently connected into the roundabout. The geometric design of the existing MIRA roundabout is such that it can be easily adapted to create a full access road that can accommodate the anticipated volumes of light vehicles and HGVs.
A444 Weddington Lane
A new 3-arm roundabout will be constructed on the A444 Weddington Lane to the south-east of Caldecote Lane, providing a second primary access to the site. A roundabout in this location will also function as a traffic management feature for vehicles through Caldecote.
The scheme will include signage/traffic orders such that all HGVs over 7.5T between the A5 corridor and Nuneaton will be redirected onto the link road/MIRA roundabout, effectively removing all HGV traffic from Weddington Lane through Caldecote village.
A5-A444 Spine Road Link
The two external accesses will be connected by a new, adoptable link road.
The link road will have grass verges, footpath and cycleways and extensive tree and shrub planting to create a green ribbon running north to south through the development.
New footpaths will be provided along the link road to provide pedestrian access, the paths will be separated from the carriageway by grass verges. These will provide paved, well lit, routes between the A5 and A444. Routes to buildings have been designed, where possible, to provide segregation between pedestrians and vehicles.
In addition to a new cycleway running along the southern side of the link road, new cycle routes will be provided linking the development with the existing cycle route along Weddington Walk and an additional route, within the site, will run along the A444 enabling the potential for a future extension to Nuneaton.
Redgate Junction
Significant investment will be made into the highway network to redevelop the Redgate Junction, which will be upgraded to provide a 4-arm roundabout. This improvement measure will deliver significant additional capacity on all approaches that will reduce existing issues of queuing and delays, particularly during weekday peak periods.
Landscaping
The new buildings will be supported by landscaping, careful location of trees, shrub and ground cover planting will distinguish routes and spaces, provide landmarks and focal points, and define views and vistas. The species list for the structural planting will be confirmed once the design for the site has been developed further. This may be subject to change depending on the recommendations forthcoming from any formal biodiversity assessments of the site proposals.
The proposals also include social infrastructure to provide spaces for the community, for relaxation and for health and fitness, it is these spaces that forge a sense of community and place within the development. The social infrastructure is made up of three key elements including health and fitness, mindfulness and community.
Local Benefits
Seven new high-quality flexible employment units
2,500 highly skilled jobs to support local people
Opportunities for apprenticeships
Enhanced landscaping creating a high-quality visual appearance and supporting biodiversity
Circular routes for recreation, fitness and dog walking, an outdoor gym and seating areas
New and enhanced bus routes with bus stops at the northern and southern ends of the site
New cycle routes including a connection to Weddington Walk
Construction jobs
On-site car parking, including electric charging spaces
Investment into local services and infrastructure
A sustainable scheme targeting a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating and EPC ‘A’ rating.
Consultation
Barton Willmore is working with MIRA to prepare proposals for new employment space.
July 2022 – The consultation period for comments on MIRA South Site has now closed.
Thank you if you have submitted feedback to us on the revised proposals. All the comments we received are being carefully considered by the project team. If you have signed up to our mailing list, we will provide further updates shortly.
Our revised proposals were presented at a live online public webinar on Thursday 21 July 2022. A recording of the webinar can be found below.
Public webinars were held on Thursday 3 March and Saturday 5 March 2022 to obtain feedback on the emerging proposals for MIRA South Site. The webinars included introductions to the project team, a presentation about the proposals and a Q&A session. The recordings are available to watch below!
Register for Project Updates
If you would like to receive direct updates about the proposals to redevelop MIRA South Site, please sign-up to our mailing list at the button below.
Q&A
What is on the site now and is it allocated for development?
MIRA South Site comprises four enclosed arable fields. It is currently allocated for employment use within the local plan and is recognised as a highly strategic site within the Midlands Engine. The site has the potential to provide advanced manufacturing and high-quality jobs associated with the existing MIRA Technology Park and wider West Midlands engineering ecosystem.
Who will occupy and work at the site?
The proposals present a unique and exciting opportunity to develop new high-quality employment land and bring forward highly skilled jobs for local people. The vision is to provide a high-quality business park based on good sustainable principles creating new employment opportunities that will last for generations to come.
The proposal will incorporate a range of building sizes, suitable for manufacturing and research companies, with associated office space and storage, depending on tenant requirements. The range of employment unit sizes will be carefully judged to complement existing and proposed future land uses in the area and to meet the needs and requirements of businesses in the growing hi-tech manufacturing industry.
When is a planning application being submitted?
We are looking to submit an outline planning application for MIRA South Site in Summer 2022. We will keep the local community updated as we move forward with the project.
How will construction vehicles access the site?
We are currently preparing an outline planning application and details relating to the construction process will be agreed at a future stage in the planning process within a detailed Construction Management Plan (CMP). The CMP will ensure that construction vehicles follow pre-determined routes to ensure drivers only use routes appropriate to their vehicle type.
Downloads
- Webinar Presentation (March) View/Download
- Webinar Presentation (21st July) View/Download
Contact us
Thank you for taking the time to visit our website today.
Should you require any of the information from this website in another format or hard copy please do get in touch with us on the details below.
We would also like to hear from you if you have any further questions about the proposals and would encourage you to contact the project team, who will be very happy to answer your questions and provide further information.
By phone
0207 446 6869 and 0207 446 6863
By email
miraconsultation@bartonwillmore.co.uk
By post
MIRA South Site Community Engagement Team
C/O Barton Willmore
7 Soho Square
London
W1D 3QB