You may be aware that recently a planning application for 23 houses has been submitted to West Northants Council for land off Drovers Way.
The application is Reference Number 2024/0642/MAF or WNC website
https://wnc.planning-register.co.uk/Planning/Display/2024/0642/MAF
If you wish to comment either in favour or against this proposal you can make comments on the website or sent an email to planning@westnorthants.gov.uk
The deadline is 25 March but comments are usually taken up to the point this is ready to go to Committee which will be a few weeks time.
If you wish to object you must use planning reasons to make your case. Planning reasons are about roads access, suitability of the development, flooding issues, ecology concerns, how this aligns with the council’s policy etc.
Objections that are NOT planning reasons include:
- Loss of my view
- This will impact my property value
- I walk my dog across that field and won’t be able to
- Please put somewhere else
If there are two or more adults in your household send two or more responses.
A response from a couple is just one response.
I appreciate that this is a complex area and you may not come up against planning in your daily lives.
Suggested reasons to object:-
The plot size is 1.12 Hectare. The National Planning Policy Framework states that for this type of application the plot size must be less than 1 Hectare.
This application plot is too big breaches the NPPF policy Para 73 and should be refused.
The development has starter homes that must be in accordance with council planning policy LH2.
As there is no Housing Needs Survey to prove a need this does not comply and should be refused.
Council Policy LH5 applies to self build. There are a few issues :-
- Self build properties must be along the village confine line. These are separated by the 20 houses in between.
- Is there demand for plots? Self build must show demand from local people. Potterspury recently had 6 plots given permission. There are just 2 people on the register that name Potterspury. The council refused an application, in December 23, for 9 self builds claiming there was no demand. If there was no demand in December there is no demand in March.
- The self build occupier must have local connections be involved with the design and planning stages, the applicant states design will be sorted once they have found purchasers.
All these things conflict with the LH5 policy of the council and should be refused.
Access to the end of Poundfield Road is not adequate for the extra traffic this will bring.
The council policy states that no more than 5 houses can be served from private road, 23 houses is not policy compliant and should be refused.
I am working on a draft letter of objection setting out my detailed reasons. I hope that WNC Highways will make their position known and I will incorporate their comments.
feel free to drop me an email – ian.mccord@westnorthants.gov.uk
or wnc@ianmccord.com
Some useful links