Sapcote Quarry site appeal dismissed

A bid to continue storing vehicles on rural land at Sapcote Quarry has been dismissed by a government planning inspector. 

Applicant John Mac appealed an enforcement notice issued on 15 June 2023 by Blaby District Council. Officers discovered the site was being used to keep lorries, trailers and vans. No planning permission had been granted for this. 

In his appeal, Mr Mac said he was not in breach of planning control since the vehicles were associated with the construction of a new house at an adjacent site fronting Leicester Road.   

However, the Planning Inspectorate official, David Jones, agreed with the Council that most of the vehicles were not those you would associate with building works and that the house was now complete. 

He rejected Mr Mac’s claim the vehicles were not ‘stored’ but ‘parked’, saying many which were noted in 2023 were still there when he visited in August this year. 

Mr Jones added: “Within the site now is a somewhat haphazard storage of a significant number of large vehicles, including lorries, lorry trailers and vans within a relatively confined space. 

“This adds visual clutter to what was previously a largely undeveloped part of the countryside and consequently the appeal site conveys an industrial character. This reads as a visual intrusion into the countryside which adversely affects the rural character of the area.” 

The enforcement notice was varied by the Planning Inspectorate giving Mr Mac three months to clear the site, with the deadline being 8 March 2026. 

Councillor Mike Shirley, Blaby District Portfolio Holder for Planning and Strategic Growth, said: "Planning controls are in force for a reason and we will deal rigorously with any breaches. This site has been an eyesore for more than two years but thanks to the appeal dismissal we hope to see it returned to its former rural condition very soon."

Councillor Mike Shirley
Portfolio Holder for Planning and Strategic Growth