Campaigners fighting mega warehouse scheme win first battle
STAUNCH now needs to raise thousands to pay for a legal team to take on the developers of the proposed Thrapston warehouse complex
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By Sarah Ward
There were scenes of joy last night as campaigners who have been fighting for years against a mega warehouse development near Thrapston and Titchmarsh, won a first step in their battle.
Newlands Developments wants to erect four huge warehouses on 60 hectares of farmland known as Castle Manor Farm off the A14. Due to taking so long to make a decision, the planning inspector has taken the determination out of the hands of North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) and will make a ruling next month on the development, but NNC officers had recommended the council meet last night to make a resolution that would have effectively backed the scheme.
However the new planning committee, which was chaired by Reform UK’s Chris Kellett, rejected the scheme unanimously and decided instead it would give its backing to the campaigners. The fact the mega warehouse scheme on the edge of historic village Titchmarsh is outside local planning policy and the insufficient mitigation to address increased traffic volumes were cited as reasons for refusal. The warehouses proposed would stand 24 metres high.
After the meeting the campaigners expressed their relief at getting the councillors onside, but will now have to raise at least £50,000 to instruct a barrister to take on the developer’s lawyers at the planning inspectorate meeting.
Several local speakers spoke about how the scheme would have a huge negative impact on the village and nearby town of Thrapston.
Ian Scotland, who is a key figure in Save Titchmarsh, Thrapston and Upper Nene Valley Countryside and Habitats (STAUNCH), spoke at the meeting.
He said:
“STAUNCH has been working for over three years to ensure the applicants and NNC meet the standards required in this planning application. We have raised objections which have been factual and with evidence provided, yet the report before your completely ignores our work and instead parrots the submissions of the applicant advisers. That report is not balanced.
“The buildings will be higher than anything else on the A14 corridor and dwarf the neighbouring conservation village of Titchmarsh. Your local plan identifies Thrapston as a market town, not a growth town and only small scale appropriate development should be considered here.”
He accused the developer’s consultant Savills of using a discredited method to manipulate the statistical evidence, overstating the economic benefits and underplaying the traffic amounts. He said if approved the road into the proposed site would remain a single carriageway, and could have as much as 19 miles of vehicles going into the development each day. He also questioned why NNC’s own highways officers had not been more ‘rigorous’ in their assessments of the impact of the development.
Kylie Chapman and her family have lived on the farm site for generations and will be made homeless by the scheme.
She said four 24 foot high warehouses would have a substantial impact on the look of the picturesque area and the ecological impact will be huge. She said hedgerows which have been the parish boundaries for hundreds of years will be torn out.
She said:
“NNC itself describes our Upper Nene Valley protection area as the jewel in the crown of Northamptonshire. Significantly more important than any SSSI. [sites of special scientific interest.”
Jack Haddow, speaking for Newlands Developments, said the company had undertaken ‘rigorous’ consultation since 2022 and there were no technical objections outstanding. He said the scheme would be a ‘state of the art logistics park’ with green credentials.
He said:
“As acknowledged by the council there is a significant shortfall of industrial and logistics space across the area and our development is well placed to meet that need.”
He said global logistics company DHL supported the scheme and the warehouses would be screened from view. His colleague Ben Taylor said the scheme would provide a ten per cent net gain to biodiversity. And a dedicated new bus service linking to nearby towns would be established as well as a new extension to the Greenway. He said it would provide an estimated 2,700 high quality jobs.
A number of councillors were very critical of the application and of the report from the council’s planning team.
Labour’s Cllr Willam Colquhoun said:
“I think it is very heavily weighted in favour of the developers, with very little consideration given to the local environment and the residents concerned and affected by it.
“I think as a councillor I have a moral duty to put residents way beyond commercial and possibly foreign interests.”
He said the local area would not be able to satisfy the job demand, so people would have to be recruited from other areas.
And Reform UK Cllr Maurice Eglin, who is a truck driver said:
“I don't think the A14 has the capabilities of accepting a lot more traffic in that area. I’m really struggling to see the positives of this project.”
The campaigners have so far raised around £30,000 and are hoping that some of the neighbouring parish councils provide financial support.
15 parish councils have objected to the scheme and more than 800 people have objected to the council.
STAUNCH is also fighting another nearby proposal from IM Properties for a 120 acre business park. The Church of England Peterborough diocese has sold a ten year development to IM on land it owns off the A605 adjacent to the Haldens Parkway in East Northants.
The planning inspector will start the enquiry on July 22.
Read our earlier reports about STAUNCH
