Court to decide on turning Weetabix site into 160,000 sq ft warehouse

A court will decide whether to allow a judicial review of the construction of a large warehouse, following a series of planning errors.

The case was brought by residents of Hooke Close in Corby after North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) approved the warehouse despite consulting the wrong street.

A 160,800 sq ft industrial warehouse on the site of the former Weetabix factory on the Earlstrees Industrial Estate in Corby was given the green light by councillors in September 2022. 

Permission for the site was only granted after a 60ft metal frame was built — and residents raised concerns — that the council realised the mistake.

Council planning officers had sent notices to Hubble Road, about half a mile (750m) from the site, instead of Hooke Close.

Planning notices were placed on the wrong lampposts.

Earlier this year, an internal review found that the decision to grant planning permission for the warehouse had not complied with the law.

A two-day hearing is currently underway at the High Court in London, where evidence is being presented, and a judge will decide whether to grant the judicial review.