23/11/2017 East Midlands Today

And now the news for

the East Midlands,

I'm Dominic Heale.

Good evening.

A mass protest has taken place

against plans to expand

Magna Park in Leicestershire.

Dozens of people staged

the demonstration outside

tonight's planning meeting.

Harborough District Council

is discussing doubling

the size of the distribution

centre near Lutterworth.

So many people wanted to attend,

the authority is holding the meeting

in a giant aircraft hangar.

It started at half past six this

evening and is STILL going on.

In a moment we'll talk to our

reporter Tim Parker who's there.

But first Giles Taylor has been

looking at the plans.

Along the busy A5

in Leicestershire it

sits Magna Park.

Already one of the biggest sites of

its kind in Europe, it is home

to some big-name brands like Argos,

Asda and others.

It is ideally located

to access the M1 and in 69.

New plans have been

submitted for expansion.

Residents are unhappy.

It will be overbearing

on the villages.

It is going to bring

extra traffic at extra

pollution.

It is also going to bring

jobs that we don't need.

The proposals are into sections

of the northern side.

Builders say if approved,

it will bring thousands

more jobs to the area,

but for those living

in the nearby villages,

it is

a step too far.

Over 80% of people don't

live around here who

work at the Park, because the number

of people unemployed is so low.

We are going to be covered

and overrun with warehousing

and I reckon we are

going to have a surplus.

Campaigners have already lost

previous battles against expansion,

and were tonight's plans

recommended for approval,

they fear the result

may well be the same.

That meeting is still going on. It's

thought the decision will be made

this evening.

Well, let's hear join

our reporter Tim Parker

who's at Bruntingthorpe airfield

where tonight's

meeting is being held.

The meeting continues this evening,

over 300 pages in the planning

document. 30 speakers so far. We've

just taken a short break. I have the

chair of the parish council with me.

How do you feel the meeting is going

so far? You've spoken against the

proposals.

There is an air of

anticipation right now. It's all a

little bit uncertain, but seemingly

positive. We've put forward strong

arguments from the developers have

been slightly uncertain of how to

respond.

Do you feel you can

convince people here tonight to

reject the proposals?

They certainly

have been convincing questions from

councillors, digging deeper into

what can be committed. I think,

ultimately, maybe they are afraid of

the appeal. That's really sad if

that is the case.

Thank you for

joining us. I let you get back to

the meeting. In a statement the

developers, says the proposals will

deliver a significant number of

jobs, and that they are listening to

the concerns of local residents.

Two men have been charged with four

counts of burglary and one of theft

following a series of attacks on

cash points across the Midlands.

It follows a police investigation

into dozens of attacks on ATM

machines across the East Midlands.

Two men arrested in Warwickshire

are still in custody.

The two women were arrested

in Lutterworth in Leicestershire.

They have been released.

Figures out today show a shocking

increase in the number

of people in the East Midlands

who died last winter.

It's thought that was partly

because the flu jab failed

to sufficiently protect the elderly.

At least 3,000 more people died

between December and March

than in the summer months.

Most of those deaths were due

to respiratory problems.

Other advice would be around keeping

warm, making sure your house is

heated to at least 18 degrees.

Layering up when you go outside.

Keeping an eye on elderly relatives.

Visiting a pharmacist if you feel

unwell. Bringing the GP if you feel

very unwell.

There has been an angry reaction

from the news that Notre Dame will

be blocked from becoming European

capital of culture after the EU

announced today that Europe to

tackle UK cities will no longer be

able to take part. -- Nottingham

will be blocked. Hundreds of

thousands of pounds has been spent

preparing the bed.

As this come as a

shock? It's a big surprise to hear

this news. A letter was sent to DCM

S, the government department dealing

with the process. The next 24 hours

are critical. We've been on the

phone today with the DCM S, there is

a dialogue taking place. We will

have more clarity tomorrow.

Couldn't

these difficulties have been

foreseen? In 2019 we will be leaving

the EU?

It's always been believed this

process would continue until Brexit

had been concluded. It was assumed

that it would take place. Really now

it is about resolving the situation.

The government have committed to the

five cities that have entered the

process and said they will support

them and help them to realise

cultural ambitions. Our job now is

to represent Nottingham as well as

we can.

You seem to be saying it's

not over until it is over.

There is

still an opportunity. The next 24

hours are critical. Beyond that we

hope our bid, which we think is

strong and is being driven by that

great collaboration across the city,

we still want to do something with

that.

Briefly to end, lessons have

been learned, progress has been

made, that won't be wasted?

Not at

all. We will carry this forward and

deliver elements of our bid anyway.

We hear a lot these days

about driverless cars.

But one Nottingham-based company

is going a step further

and developing a flying car.

At the moment the projected

cost is £1.5 million.

But the vehicles could be in

production within just a few years.

Quentin Rayner reports.

The idea of a flying car is not

as far-fetched as you would think.

Have few years ago James May

apply in the Aero car,

developed in America in the 1940s.

Petrol powered, its wings folded

back when used as a car and it flew

at 100 mph with a range

of 300 miles.

Absolutely fabulous.

Almost 30 years later,

are we about to see the new version

take-off as a possible idea?

Those behind it think so.

This company based in not say

they're flying car will be able to

take off vertically of driveways or

even water. Part of the journey

could be in the air or on road where

you have landed. You would have two

be flown by a pilot, but eventually

it could sell half-life. Still

tempted? Here are some other

specifications? It will carry to be

blunt cruiser 200 mph. It could fly

for up to an hour with a range of 75

miles. It is being developed with

the University of Derby. One is £10

million of investment secured it is

held for full-size operation models

will be certified to fly by 2020.

Back in the 1940s the car never

really took off because of the need

for eight separate licences to

operate it. Maybe now is the time to

land this big idea.

That's your news.

So, it's goodbye from me

but with your weather

now, here's Anna.

Thank you, Dominic. It was rather

mild earlier in the week, but the

winds have started to ease and it

feels much colder. That is the trend

over the next few days. Thank you

for this photograph. A sunset

earlier. Keep your pictures coming

in. It is becoming increasingly

cold, they will be plenty of autumn

sunshine. It's also going to be

mostly dry. Dry out there, we've got

clear skies that will allow tempted

to drop away. Winds have eased. Lows

of three Celsius, that's towns and

cities. It will get lower than that

in rural areas. Perhaps low enough

for a touch of frost in sheltered

spots. A chilly start to Friday.

Staying cold throughout the day,

plenty of sunshine, it should be dry

for most of us. One or two isolated

she was pushing in from the North

West. Mostly dry, highs of 7

degrees. It is Friday night that

will be particularly cold with the

risk of a few showers that could

turn wintry. A cold start on

Saturday, widespread frost expected.

We have this risk of one or two

showers and if they do manage to

make their way towards us, these

could be wintry on Saturday. On the

whole, dry, sunny, but chilly. 5

degrees is the maximum temperature.

Here is your outlook for the next

few days.