Agenda item

Report of Head of Planning

(copy herewith)

Councillor Golby left the meeting in accordance with his earlier declaration of interest.

The Head of Planning submitted a report in respect of application no. N/2011/0882 elaborated thereon and noted that Daventry District Council would determine the application on 20 October 2011. He referred to the Addendum that set out five further objections to the scheme and a copy of a letter sent by the Nene Flood Prevention Alliance to the Environment Agency. The Head of Planning noted that when the application had been considered on 21 June 2011 the Committee had expressed concerns relating to highways matters and education. Daventry District Council in refusing the application in July had sought a review of the Highways Agency advice and had commissioned independent advice that the highways mitigations were adequate. That advice was that the mitigations agreed with the Highways Agency were adequate. He also that the advice from the Education Authority was also clear that a secondary school was not needed on the site.

Mr Clarke, Chair of Boughton Parish Council, commented that the proposal represented a tripling of the size of the parish. The existing Boughton village was designated as for “limited infill”. The Parish Council had been surprised that an application had come forward so quickly after the refusal in July and had written to Daventry District Council on 30 September 2011. This application was the same as that rejected previously except for the information in respect of the traffic impact assessment. This site was greenfield and the cumulative effect of developing it and Dallington Grange would be bad for both Northampton and the surrounding villages. Mr Clarke noted that there was no current route for a North West Bypass. He believed that there was nothing about the current application that changed the original view that it should be objected to.

Councillor Yates, as Councillor of an adjoining Borough Ward, stated that this application was 98% the same as the application made in June. He commented that some residents adjoining the site had not been notified of the proposals by the applicant. He queried whether there were grounds to object to the application on the basis of lack of consultation with adjoining residents. Councillor Yates noted that the Cock Hotel junction was currently operating at 130% of capacity and the improvements currently under way would only improve the situation to 110% of capacity. A development of this size would only worsen this situation still further. Kingsthorpe already suffered some of the worst air quality in the County.    

Mr Stead of FOBA, commented that he was surprised that the current application was substantially the same as the previous one and noted the applicant’s comments that the proposed National Planning Policy Framework strengthened the case to allow development unless the disbenefits of so doing clearly outweighed the benefits. The situation concerning the North West By-pass was key. The Secretary of State had saved the By-pass proposal into the Milton Keynes South Midlands study and consequently it had been part of the Regional Spatial Strategy. However this was to be abolished. Mr Stead believed that the traffic situation would only worsen if the application were to be approved; he thought that the assessment of a modal shift in transport usage patterns was dubious.    

Councillor Beardsworth, as Councillor of an adjoining Borough Ward, commented that the public had concerns in respect of flooding and highways and reminded the Committee of the consequences of the Easter 1998 floods in Northampton. She had been advised by the Highways Agency that once the current works had been completed at the Cock Hotel junction there was nothing further that could be done to make additional improvements. She believed that this proposal put Daventry’s new build on the Borough boundary; they would get the benefits of the Council Tax raised. Councillor Beardsworth stated that the public and businesses in Kingsthorpe had already suffered from the problems of traffic congestion and the improvement works and this development would only make matters worse. She believed that there had been a lack of consultation with the people most affected.

Mr Cross of WASPRA, commented that residents were concerned by the effect of the proposal on all forms of infrastructure. His own background was in logistics and he had looked at the traffic projections and questioned the use of the word “sustainable” when the A508 Boughton Green Junction was predicted to be over capacity by 2021. Drivers would seek “rat runs” through neighbouring residential streets. Whilst primary and secondary school places had been part of the assessment the needs of the University and the two colleges, each of which were successful and expanding had not been included. He believed that a thousand houses represented up to an extra 7,000 traffic movements each day. He believed that there would be knock on effects on the Kingsthorpe Hollow and Regent Square junctions: none of this was “sustainable”.  

The Head of Planning noted that this application was the same as that submitted in June. Whilst the Committee could not object to the application on the grounds of lack of public consultation a comment could be made to Daventry District Council. In respect of the National Planning Policy Framework this had been put into context in the report: the existing planning guidance and policies remained in place until they were replaced. In terms of planning status the land had been allocated by Daventry District Council for development and it was included in the pre submission draft of the Joint Core Strategy as land available for residential development. The site also formed part of the Council’s housing strategy that included the development of brownfield sites. The strategy also had to identify a future land supply. In respect of the flood risk the Environment Agency’s advice was clear. In answer to  a question, the Head of Planning commented that the North West By-pass was included in the Joint Core Strategy as part of an Infrastructure Plan that would set out what was needed from each site. The pre submission draft currently stated that the By-pass would be needed within three years of Dallington Heath being developed but it was now clear that other sites were likely to come forward first and therefore that statement was likely to be reviewed before submission to the Secretary of State. This would be resolved by the Spring of 2012. The mitigation asked for by the Highways Agency for a contribution towards the costs of the North West By-pass had been agreed to. The independent advice sought by Daventry District Council had confirmed the proposed highway mitigations put forward by the Highways Agency.  

The Committee discussed the application.

Councillor Mason proposed and Councillor Markham seconded “That Daventry District Council be informed that the Council objects to the application in principle on the grounds that, notwithstanding the highways advice, it does not believe the highways mitigations to be adequate and that the North West By-pass should be in place before any development takes place. Furthermore, the Council does not believed that that the community engagement on the proposal had been adequate.”

Upon a vote the motion was carried.

RESOLVED: That Daventry District Council be informed that the Council objects to the application in principle on the grounds that, notwithstanding the highways advice, it does not believe the highways mitigations to be adequate and that the North West By-pass should be in place before any development takes place. Furthermore, the Council does not believed that that the community engagement on the proposal had been adequate.