Fresh plans have emerged for a huge new industrial estate near a Leicestershire village, bringing thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of pounds of investment to the area.

SEGRO, the developer behind the existing East Midlands Gateway Logistics Park, has unveiled proposals for an expansion on land between Diseworth and the M1, just south of East Midlands Airport.

The proposed development, known as East Midlands Gateway 2, would cover around 252 acres – the size of around 150 football pitches – and deliver up to 326,500 square metres of "state-of-the-art" employment space.

The scheme is expected to create 5,720 jobs and represents £325 million of investment in the East Midlands economy.

The project would form part of the East Midlands Freeport, the UK's only inland freeport, where businesses can benefit from tax and customs incentives designed to boost trade.

According to SEGRO, the "much-needed" development would help meet growing demand for logistics space after the existing East Midlands Gateway site reached full capacity sooner than anticipated.

As well as industrial units, the plans include major infrastructure improvements, including new access from the A453, upgrades to M1 Junction 24, a new bus interchange and enhancements to the site's rail terminal.

The proposals also mention a 35-acre community park and the retention of Hyam's Lane as a pedestrian and cycle route through the site.

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The land was previously earmarked by a separate East Midlands Airport freeport application that was less than half the size of this later proposal.

That application attracted strong opposition from campaigners. The Protect Diseworth Action Group described the airport group's plans as the "wanton and unnecessary destruction" of productive agricultural land and warned of significant impacts on the local environment and countryside character.

In 2025, that application was updated with Prologis UK Ltd becoming a joint applicant with Manchester Airport Group. Presently, the scheme remains under consideration with North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) with some technical matters, principally around the highway impacts of the development, still needing to be resolved.

While NWLDC has yet to determine that application, SEGRO's bid is being considered under a different process as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP).

As a result, the application is being examined by the Planning Inspectorate and will ultimately be decided by the relevant Secretary of State.

Formal examination hearings began in March 2026 and are scheduled to continue until September.