Friday brief: Coroner’s warning to mental health trust after man’s shopping centre suicide
Plus some big planning news from across the county
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Northants’ senior coroner has warned future deaths could occur if a support service for vulnerable people who come into contact with the criminal justice system does not operate on weekends, after a man’s suicide.
Paul Appleby, 62, died on Saturday, February 22 this year, after jumping from the Grosvenor Centre in Northampton’s town centre. The day before he had been arrested for a drink driving offence and been referred to the Northampton Liaison and Diversion Team, a service run by Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (NHFT) that supports vulnerable people who come into contact with the criminal justice system.
In a prevention of future deaths report, senior coroner Anne Pember said she was concerned that NHFT, which is the county’s NHS mental health and community nursing provider, had not operated a Saturday service for several years.
According to the coroner’s report, Mr Appleby had been assessed on the evening of his arrest by a medical examiner who advised that he should be seen by Court Liaison and Diversion before being released from custody.
An email was sent early the next day from the detention officer at Northants Police Wheatley Wood Justice Centre in Kettering, to communicate this with the Criminal Justice Centre. However, Mr Appleby was not seen by the support team.
In her report addressed to the Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust (NHFT), which is in charge of the service, Ms Pember said she was concerned “there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken”.
She said:
“I understand that the Liaison and Diversion Team at Northampton has not operated a Saturday Court Service for several years.
“Previously an ‘On Call’ service has been provided. I am concerned that this lack of service could give rise to future deaths.
“In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you (and/or your organisation) have the power to take such action.”
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust has until December 16 to respond.
They must state the details of any action proposed to be taken in response to the concerns raised, or otherwise explain why no action is proposed.
A spokesperson for NHFT said:
“Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Mr Appleby at this difficult time.
“We are firmly committed to learning from incidents and improving our practices, and we are working with our partners to prepare a formal response to the concerns that the Coroner has raised in the report.
“If anyone is worried about the mental health of a loved one in Northamptonshire, we would encourage them to contact our 24-hour mental health number on 0800 448 0828 or, if you are concerned about an immediate risk of harm, please call 999.”
The coroner’s service investigation into the death of Mr Appleby commenced on February 25, 2025, however it has not yet concluded and the inquest has not been heard.
By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
News in brief
The plight of a young cancer survivor whose Oundle school had refused to make adjustments so she can access the playing fields, has been raised with the Prime Minister.
Millie Blair, was diagnosed a year ago with a rare type of bone cancer, osteosarcoma, and underwent a life changing leg amputation. She attends Prince William School in Oundle who had told the Blair family and Corby and East Northants MP Lee Barron, who represents Oundle, that the school was not under an obligation to add ramps.
Classrooms and lessons like PE have been adjusted to accommodate her needs, but the field remains inaccessible for sports activities break times due to a severe grass slope that poses a significant risk of injury.
PM Keir Starmer welcomed Millie and her family to the House of Commons and praised the youngster for her courage and positivity. He said:
“I implore them (the Trust) on behalf of everybody here and Millie, in particular, to look again at the request and please reconsider that decision and put that ramp in and match the positivity and courage that Millie has shown all of us.”
Lee Barron described the school’s stance as ‘appalling’ and said:
“The decision is not only legally questionable but morally troubling. Exclusion is unacceptable in today’s age of accessibility and inclusion.”
East Midlands Academy Trust, which runs the school, has been contacted for comment.
Campaigners say they have been left with a ‘heavy heart’ after a planning inspector has allowed a warehouse development near Thrapston to go ahead.
The large logistics site was referred to the planning inspectorate earlier this year after NNC failed to issue a decision on the plans for three years. A 10-day public inquiry into the plans was launched in July, hearing from the developer Equites Newlands Ltd, North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) and local campaign group Save Titchmarsh, Thrapston And Upper Nene Valley Countryside & Habitats (STAUNCH).
Government appointed planning inspector Roger Catchpole has decided to approve the application which means 200,000 sqm of warehousing will be built on green space known as Castle Manor Farm, next to Haldens Parkway along the A14. Developers say the scheme will create about 2,700 jobs, bring in more than £4 million in annual business rates and meet a need for logistics in the area.
A spokesperson from STAUNCH said:
“Throughout the process, STAUNCH has worked tirelessly to represent the communities of Thrapston, Titchmarsh and wider Upper Nene Valley and we believe that we presented the best possible case that we could. None of which we could have undertaken without your full support.”
Former Corby & East Northamptonshire MP Tom Pursglove said that STAUNCH had been “desperately let down” with the decision disregarding concerns over the local plan, habitat, heritage and rare species regulations.
“This decision will have catastrophic consequences and destroy trust locally in the planning regime,” he added.
Members of the public made more than 800 comments, most of which were objections, on the original plans to NNC. More than 100 local residents also attended a public-focused hearing during the inquiry to put their pleas directly to the inspector to dismiss the scheme.
In a 69-page document, planning inspector R Catchpole weighed up the potential benefits and harms of the scheme. He said the main issues he considered were the effect on the character and appearance of the surrounding area, the effect on protected buildings and heritage assets, if there would be an adverse effect on the Upper Nene Gravel Pits Special Protection Area, and whether there is an established employment and logistics need locally.
He wrote that there were benefits of the development that would make a ‘substantial contribution’ to the local area, including a significant capital investment of around £120m in the local economy, new employment opportunities and the provision of training and skills initiatives.
However, he noted a number of harms, including the approval undermining a plan-led approach that aims to build logistics and major employment development in growth towns; adverse effects on the countryside, and the loss of the best and most versatile land and historic hedgerows.
The inspector concluded:
“In the final balance, I regard the significant benefits of the proposed development sufficient to outweigh any degree of policy conflict with respect to a plan-led approach, landscape, heritage and BMV. On this basis, I conclude that planning permission is justified.
“It follows that the adverse impacts of granting the permission sought in this appeal would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the policies of the Framework taken as a whole.”
An application from Equites Newlands for an award of costs due to the council acting “unreasonably” was refused by the inspector, who found that the planning committee members were within their right to reach a different conclusion than the council officers who recommended approval.
The warehousing unit is expected to be inhabited by logistics company DHL.
As the permission is hybrid, detailed plans for the remaining storage and distribution zone , with units up to 24m tall, will come forward at a later date.
Report by Nadia Lincoln
Plans to regenerate the area surrounding Northampton train station with a new multi-storey car park, hotel and flats have been delayed by the unitary council.
Network Rail and Blockwork LLP put forward proposals to redevelop the 7.2-hectare site next to the railway station, off Black Lion Hill and create what they called a “modern and efficient gateway into the town”.
According to the master plan, the station would have been transformed to include a new six-storey car park with a total of 854 parking spaces, cycle and pedestrian access routes from St Andrew’s Road and Black Lion Hill, a cycle parking hub, a covered walkway between the car park and station building, and bays for replacement bus services.
Outline plans for later phases of the development show an intention to provide up to 280 flats and a hotel with a maximum of 100 rooms by the station, both of which have been flagged as car-free. As reported by NN Journal last week Labour’s group leader Cllr Sally Keeble had said the scheme would end hope for a bus and rail interchange in the town.
The plans were recommended for approval by planning officers and put before West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) strategic planning committee on Tuesday, October 21.
Eluned Lewis-Nichol, who spoke on behalf of Northampton Living Streets, a campaign group for safe walking and cycle routes, told members that the scheme went against the council’s local transport plan and failed to create a connected travel hub.
She said:
“There will be no room at all for improving much-needed rail and bus connections. Rather than making cycling and walking the natural choice for short trips, it would actively discourage the cyclist or pedestrian from using the site.
“Don’t accept the proposals because they are an improvement on what they are now. The land has far more potential than that and the Local Transport Plan puts forward a vision for that land which would make it a gateway to the town, to the whole county.
“What this land is is a railway station and it should be developed as such.”
Cllr Fartun Ismail (Castle ward)added: “I recognise the need to improve and develop Northampton train station car park, however I have serious concerns about this plan.
“This is a major planning proposal that appears to have moved forward without local input from the residents and the wider community. At present, it feels too developer-led and not community-focused.
“The current proposal risks creating more problems than solutions.”
Report by Nadia Lincoln
A public examination of plans for a major solar farm in the Northamptonshire countryside have begun.
The proposed Green Hill Solar Farm, which would be the UK’s largest solar farm if approved, would cover around 1,200 hectares of land between Wellingborough and Northampton. Multiple solar sites have been proposed in and around the villages of Old, Walgrave, Mears Ashby, Earls Barton, Bozeat, Grendon and Lavendon.
Due to the size of the development, it has been classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), and will bypass the ability of local councils to rule on the plans, going straight to the planning inspectorate. If approved, the project could generate approximately 500MW, with a lifespan of 60 years.
A three-person panel will oversee the examination period, which is expected to last up to six months. They will then write a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, who will make the final decision.
A preliminary meeting on the project was held at the Mercure Hotel, Northampton, on Tuesday morning.
Involved in the proceedings was the applicant Green Hill Solar Farm Limited, representatives of West Northamptonshire, North Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes councils, as well as the campaign group Stop Green Hill Solar, and several parish councils.
More than 1,200 people and businesses sent comments to the NSIP application, as well as comments from three local authorities and 14 parish councils.
A programme of issue-specific hearings and representation deadlines has been outlined to address these matters. According to a draft timetable shared by the examining authority, the examination stage is expected to finish on March 20, 2026.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the preliminary meeting, Juliet Jarvis, a member of Stop Green Hill Solar, said:
“The impact on our countryside is difficult for people to comprehend. The construction over two years will be absolutely crippling to our villages- we lose our footpaths, we lose our bridleways, we lose our countryside.
“We will be surrounded by a sea of black glass, cable routes and it will devastate our countryside for the next 60 years.”
She added that they were able to stand up for local voices thanks to crowdfunding, which they have put towards legal and specialist support, but that they still need to raise more.
Report by Nadia Lincoln
West Northants unitary will decide whether to take its failing social housing provider back in house next month.
The government’s Regulator of Social Housing found last year that almost a quarter of the homes managed by the arms-length Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH) were not compliant with home safety and quality standards. And this year the extent of mismanagement of major housing projects was revealed.
Cllr Charlie Hastie, cabinet member for housing, told a scrutiny committee meeting on Monday (October 20) that many different options for the future of its social housing had been assessed. This included looking into selling off the homes, which was ultimately deemed unviable.
He said:
“When I first joined and was given the NPH papers back in May, it was made clear that this is probably going to be the biggest choice that we make in four years.
“I’ve been trying to see warts and all, but also I’ve seen some very amazing work done by WNC officers and NPH staff.
“We are between a rock and a hard place, but we will try and chisel our way out of it.”
Cllr Hastie added that the council are still getting a sense of the total cost of bringing all homes back up to a decent standard, which will form part of the business case. Officers said there will also be HR costs associated with the transfer of staff, which will be built into the cabinet papers.
According to planned timetables, if the transfer is approved, it would be completed by April 2027 in a phased approach.Cabinet is set to make a decision in November and approval would be needed by the secretary of state.
When asked by scrutiny members if he was confident that WNC would be able to do a better job than NPH on the responsiveness of repairs, Cllr Hastie replied that he was.
Lab Dem group leader Cllr Jonathan Harris said:
“At the heart of all of this are residents. Yes, we have staffing issues, we have financial issues, we’ve got standards issues that we have to deal with, but at the end of the day, these are people’s homes and we already hear that 22 per cent of them are not at decent homes standards.
“I think we should be seriously thinking about how do we give housing the time, energy, and focused scrutiny that it deserves in order to make this decision?”
WNC’s serious failings judgment from the regulator cannot be lifted until it carries out a re-inspection and is satisfied that the housing is in a more compliant position.
Report by Nadia Lincoln
A number of our reports today are from the local democracy reporting service.
This is a BBC-funded scheme to improve the coverage of issues relating to local democracy. Nadia Lincoln is often to be found sitting in council meetings across the county and then reporting back on what has been discussed and decided.
When considering Solar Arrays this country is out of line with the rest of the world's agricultural/solar protocols. The comments of Juliet Jarvis are quite justified.
I believe the anti solar farm campaigners are not playing their cards correctly as the inspectorate are going to steamroller this through unless they come up with conditions that insist that the panels be shown to be able to co-exist with whatever agricultural practises pertain at present.
There are plenty of protocols on the continent ( - quelle horreur?!) that allow agriculture to continue on the land. That being the case the developer would have to re-calculate their ROI and maybe make the whole project infeasible.
NHFT are like a stuck record with that 24 hour hotline number. Everybody gives it out for everything and it is NOT fit for purpose. It’s very unusual to speak to anybody capable of assessing risk, or even being compassionate sometimes. The staff themselves admit it’s ’hit and miss’ who answers. NHFT do NOT care about people with mental health problems.