Temporary home for centre of excellence approved

The green light for a temporary home for a facility to provide vocational training and education, as well as a research and innovation centre of excellence, to meet the needs of the distribution and logistics industry and wider supply chains has been granted.The Logistics Institute of Technology (LIT) forms part of Gazeley’s plans to extend Magna Park, Lutterworth, by a further five million sq ft of distribution warehousing and ancillary offices which were approved on appeal in April 2019.LIT, which will be led by North Warwickshire & South Leicestershire College in partnership with Gazeley, Aston University and Holovis, is to be set up in the nearby Bittesby House in September after the go-ahead was granted by Harborough District Council.A purpose-built campus with room for up to 1,000 students has already gained approval but is being delayed through a requirement for conditions to be discharged and the securing of reserved matters consents.Gazeley has said this would “unavoidably amount to a substantial delay before LIT could begin its operations”.