How to Object
Objecting to each development
Your help is invaluable, please object. Time is running out!
It is vital that as many people as possible make their views about these developments known to West Northants Council as soon as possible!
You can raise a variety of objections to the developments including:
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Unacceptable volume of traffic through & around Towcester & nearby villages.
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Unacceptable stress on the A43/A5 roundabouts, Tove (Shell) and Abthorpe (McDonalds)
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Overriding of local Towcester plan
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Height & size of buildings out of context for a historic town.
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Air, light & noise pollution
Click on the arrow below for a detailed guide on how you can complain or object to each of the 4 developments below. It includes information on who to contact, planning reference numbers as well as what you could say in your objection.
AL1
DHL Development
How to Object
WNC's Planning Portal is the simplest way to object to the proposal.
Clicking on the button below will take you to the Comments page of the DHL Application.
Important: Set 'Type of Comment' to 'Object'
Or Contact the Planning Officer, quote ref. WNS/2021/1819/EIA
Planning officer: Mr Daniel Callis
Email: Daniel.Callis@westnorthants.gov.uk
In writing:
Mr Daniel Callis
Development Services,
South Northamptonshire Council,
The Forum,Towcester, NN12 6AD
What you could say
1. Traffic
The impact of the development on the local road network makes this development unsustainable. The Traffic Assessments for this site are inadequate and completely fail to provide for the high volume of traffic, including HGVs, that will be generated. When main routes are congested, traffic will use local roads unsuitable for high volumes and large vehicles.
2. Poor employment opportunities
Large volume warehouses will not provide the local employment levels that Small Medium Enterprise businesses would provide and which was expected in the designation within the Local Plan.
3. Infrastructure
The site does not demonstrate a comprehensive planning approach in terms of strategic planning for infrastructure. There are inadequate plans for cycle/pedestrian/public transport access. Proposals for large scale high volume warehouses are neither demonstrably subservient nor complementary in scale to the existing industry in Towcester as required by the Local Plan.
4. Ill considered benefit to local community
Football pitches benefit a minority of the population and do nothing to mitigate the detrimental effects of this development to the area as a whole. Building football pitches next to an area producing high emissions from distribution vehicles is not compatible with the delivery of those pitches within the parameters of a sustainable environment.
5. Size and footprint
The Visual Impact Assessments for this site are biased in favour of the development and are not objective. The building of these huge warehouses will be a eyesore for miles around.
This development does not adhere to the design and place shaping principles required both under SS2 and by the National Planning Protocol Format.
AL2
Woolgrowers Field Development
How to Object
WNC's Planning Portal is probably the simplest way to object to the proposal.
Clicking on the button below will take you to the Comments page of the Woolgrowers Application.
Important: Set 'Type of Comment' to 'Object'
Or Contact the Planning Officer, quote ref. S/2020/2045/MAO
Planning officer: Contact is Development Services at South Northants Council
Email: development.management@southnorthants.gov.uk
In writing:
Development Services,
South Northamptonshire Council,
The Forum, Towcester, NN12 6AD
What you could say
1. Traffic and infrastructure
There are benefits in improving the local emergency services provision. However the cumulative impact of developments AL1, AL2 and AL3 at this location will cause traffic congestion and possible gridlock due to the absence of adequate infrastructure planning.
2. Size and footprint
There must be a stated limit on the height and volume of any buildings to go on this site to ensure
that it does not adversely impact Towcester and the surrounding area.
Shacks Barn / Podium Park
How to Object
WNC's Planning Portal is probably the simplest way to object to the proposal.
Clicking on the button below will take you to the Comments page of the Shacks Barn / Podium Park Application.
Important: Set 'Type of Comment' to 'Object'
Or Contact the Planning Officer, quote ref. S/2020/2337/MAO
Planning officer: Mr Daniel Callis
Email: Daniel.Callis@westnorthants.gov.uk
In writing:
Mr Daniel Callis
Development Services,
South Northamptonshire Council,
The Forum,Towcester, NN12 6AD
What you could say
1. Traffic
The lack of direct access to the A43 in both directions will result in all site traffic including HGVs either driving directly through the middle of the rural village of Silverstone, past the newly built school and the special needs school, or will using Whittlebury and Cowpastures Lane as rat runs. This will make accessing the schools and driving on local roads even more dangerous.
2. Size and footprint
The proposed development is nearly 30% larger than the allocated area in the Local Plan.
The proposed development will operate 24/7 and will cause noise, air and light pollution in an otherwise rural location. The location of Shacks Barn is on the Whittlewood Ridge, the highest point in the area. This means these large warehouses will be visible for miles around, adversely impacting the rural environment.
Large warehouses are not demonstrably subservient or complementary in scale to the existing industry at Shacks Barn as required by the Local Plan.
3. Poor employment opportunities
Large volume warehouses will not provide the local employment levels that Small Medium Enterprise businesses would provide and which was expected in the designation within the Local Plan.
AL4
AL3
IMP/Tiffield Development
This application has not yet been fully approved!
The SPC Meeting of 27/01/22 delegated authority to the WN Planning Officers to approve outstanding matters - of which there are many (see below). It is therefore still very worthwhile registering your complaints:
https://www.westnorthants.gov.uk/.../comments-compliments... highlighting areas of particular concern (see list below) .
Planning Reference
S/2020/1644/EIA
What you could say
1. Traffic
The traffic impact to the Tove roundabout and surrounding roads makes the proposed volume warehousing on this site unsustainable. The current transport assessment put before planning is outdated. There has been no up to date consistent & cumulative traffic assessment completed using the new Northamptonshire Strategic Transport Model which should be done to include the cumulative effect of all four developments. The current Travel Plan sees traffic being directed along Northampton Rd into the centre of Towcester and along the Brackley Road - reinstating this route as a bypass for the A43.
2. Poor employment opportunities
Large volume warehouses will not provide the local employment levels that Small Medium Enterprise businesses would provide and which was expected in the designation within the Local Plan.
3. Local impact
The proposed large scale buildings are incompatible with the surrounding area and will have huge adverse impact on the rural nature of the area. As such, the visual impact of these large scale buildings on the neighbouring village and Towcester town is environmentally unsustainable.
4. Not compatible with HM Inspectorate's Report for the SN Local Plan
The scale and nature of this proposed development is not compatible with existing Small Medium Enterprises in the area as required by the Inspectorate's Report. Large scale warehousing will not provide the local employment opportunities that Small Medium Enterprise business would provide, as required in the Local Plan.
5. Lack of proposed infrastructure
There is no appropriate pedestrian/cycle access, especially in terms of crossing the A43. Further, this area is not well served by public transport and, therefore, does not not meet the guidelines for sustainable access.