Friday brief: ‘Only show in town’ plan for arson hit historic hall gains partial approval
Here's our weekly news round up
The long running attempt to restore and develop the grounds of a Northants Grade II listed hall have moved forward with part of the plans approved this week.
Fairline Homes went to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) yesterday (July 2) to seek approval to restore part of Overstone Hall, which has twice been subjected to arsons since the millennium.
The current proposals are three linked applications which set out how the remaining facades of the hall could be repaired and retained, alongside a conversion of part of the main building into 19 apartments, and permission to build a further 77 homes on the hall’s associated gardens to help fund the project.
WNC’s planning officers recommended that the strategic planning committee, made up of elected councillors, refuse all applications due to the works being seen as causing a high level of further harm to and resulting in loss of significance of the hall. However after a vote the first application (for the 19 apartments) was approved.
The first application sought part restoration of the hall to create 19 apartments, accommodated within the ground, first and second floor. Part of the fire-ravaged structure would also be demolished, with the applicant saying the remainder of the east elevation, service wing, the 1930s refectory extension, and south wing would be lost.
Another application to build 57 apartments across four blocks and a further 20 houses on land next to the hall, was also discussed during the almost four hours of debate on the series of proposals.
Objections from heritage experts raised concerns that the scheme would cause unnecessary damage to one of Northamptonshire’s most significant historic buildings. Questions over whether there was enough documentation to justify the demolition of certain aspects of the building, such as the south wing, were also mentioned in the report.
The historic buildings & places team also accused the enabling development, consisting of four apartment blocks, of having “a lack of ambition in the design” and therefore looking like “an airport hotel, rather than a structure that would be appropriate in a country house setting”.
Both reports said each application had also received 95 objections from members of the public.
At the meeting, the case officer for the project told members that planning staff were not convinced that the proposal would sustain or reinforce sufficient heritage value.
However, councillors questioned if there were any other realistic prospects for salvaging the hall, given its current condition after being badly damaged by fire in 2001 and its state of disrepair being accelerated by recent vandalism and another blaze in 2023.
Previous applications to restore the hall in 2018 and provide 16 residential units in the property were also partially approved, but works never started, as a secondary application requesting permission to build 60 extra homes on the rest of the site to fund the restoration works were refused.
Speaking on behalf of Fairline Homes, agent Peter Frampton told the committee that their proposal was “the only show in town” to secure the restoration of the building. He also said that suggestions that it could be saved in any other way than enabling development were “simply unrealistic” and “wishful thinking”.
“We do not accept that the consequence of these works to the significance of the hall as a ruin today is that its significance will be vitiated,” he added.
“After a quarter of a century of dereliction and decay and the hall being subject to a major arson attack, regular break-ins – some 67 this year, with police no longer willing to attend – it’s time for positive conservation to take place.”
Cllr Adrian Little (Reform UK) said:
“We’re in a position now where if we don’t do anything, it may get to the stage where the fabric of the building is so deteriorated that there’s no chance of salvaging it.”
Councillors were reminded by officers that even if they were minded to accept the scheme so the building could benefit from some form of restoration, there were still outstanding issues relating to a lack of information on access, highways and ecological matters that had to be assessed.
A motion to defer the application to resolve the outstanding issues before granting permission for the restoration of the main hall fell. The committee ultimately approved the first application – which included the 19 flats – in full, alongside the necessary Listed Building Consent.
However, the same outstanding matters and concerns from the WNC highways team were all at play once again in the enabling application for the 77 homes.
Cllr Sally Keeble raised concerns about road safety at the junction leading down to the hall.
She said:
“This isn’t about having a nice little lane down to a rural area, this is a public highway traffic junction which has got bad sightlines and which is hemmed in on either side by buildings – and it’s one that leads into a road which has already got pretty nightmarish traffic.
“I put the safety of the people and the kids using that main road above the interests of a building, however valuable.”
Officers again recommended that, if the committee were leaning towards approval, a ‘positive deferral’ of the project be made so that further considerations around highways, ecology, flood risk and alternative designs for the apartment blocks could be considered.
Ten councillors voted to defer the second part of the project, with one abstention. It will now have to return to the planning committee with further requested details before full permission can be granted.
By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
Other news
The jury in the Kimberley Thompson murder trial was sent out to consider its verdict this morning.
Kimberley’s husband Michael Thompson, 56, of Pinewood Road, Northampton is accused of killing and raping his wife at the family home on August 9 this year. He is also charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice by attempting to conceal his crimes. He denies all charges.
The six-week trial has been held at Nottingham Crown Court.
Thousands of people have been issued refunds totalling more than £50,000 after residents were wrongly charged for parking after a procedural error made by West Northamptonshire Council.
WNC said it would refund anyone who parked in one of its off-street car parks in Northampton town centre during a period in April, when it incorrectly raised fees, removed a period of free parking at weekends, and charged blue badge holders without carrying out a statutory public consultation.
At the time, the council said that most refunds would be made automatically for card and app payments, but drivers who paid in cash and blue badge holders needed to complete a short online refund form. Any Penalty Charge Notices issued in the affected car parks were also cancelled, with paid notices refunded automatically.
According to a freedom of information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the council issued £50,928 in refunds from over 42,000 transactions over the period. That’s an average of £.120 returned to every motorist who made a claim or was automatically repaid for their parking.
The administrative blunder cost the council £5,100 to issue refunds through the payment service providers.
Further research by the LDRS also found that the council lost out on an estimated £37k in income in the aftermath of the parking charges mistake. This was as a result of the council blocking off payment machines in its car parks for five full days (between April 26 and 30) whilst it stopped charging for parking after realising its error.
The council then reverted to charging pre-April fees in order to carry out the statutory consultation and ensure it was following proper process. This has been in place since May 1.
WNC confirmed yesterday (July 1) that it will not reintroduce parking charges for Blue Badge holders and for visitors to Northampton’s country parks following undertaking the necessary Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultation and saying it had listened to “further public feedback”.
However, revised parking charges at Albion Place, Campbell Square, Midsummer Meadow, The Ridings, St John’s Multi-Storey, Upper Mounts, Wellington Street, Claret car park and Sixfields Reservoir will still stand, the council has said. Weekend and bank holiday charges will also be re-introduced, with the changes taking effect from 1 August 2026.
Full information will be available shortly on the WNC website car parking pages.
The LDRS contacted the council for comment on the cost of the refund process.
We also asked West Northants if the nearly £90k in lost revenue and £5k processing refund fee will impact council budgets for 2026/27, given that it had set a balanced budget based on the increased income generation, and what its plans were to rectify this to stay on budget.
A WNC spokesman said that as the council had to revert back to the previous charging scheme “there will clearly be an impact on the finances”.
“This will be picked up and reported on as part of our normal in-year budget monitoring processes,” they added.
By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
A 21-year-old drug dealer has been convicted of trying to murder a teenager in a Corby woodland.
Matas Sukatis, who ran a drug line in the town, was found guilty on Thursday in a majority verdict (10-2) of attempting to kill the 17- year-old on April 11 last year. The trial at Northampton crown court had lasted a month.
Sukatis shot the boy in the back and then tried to end his life by attempting to fire twice at his head as the teenager lay injured in the Corby woodland close to the town’s swimming pool.
Sukatis, of Chaucer Close, Corby, who will be sentenced in September, stabbed the boy in the leg after inflicting the serious damage which required the boy to have a bullet removed from a vertebra.
He handed himself into police three days after the attack, but attempted to escape the country and was detained by police at a London airport.
Speaking after the verdict, Detective Sergeant Megan Scotney, who led the North CID Team investigation said:
“Matas Sukaitis showed no regard for others around him, causing utmost fear by discharging a firearm in such a popular public place during a sunny afternoon.
“I have no doubt that Sukaitis’ intention was to kill his teenage victim, and it was extremely fortunate that the firearm jammed as he attempted to shoot the boy at point blank range. If it hadn’t, he would have been facing a murder charge.
“Fortunately, the use of firearms remains rare within our communities but tackling serious violence remains a priority for Northamptonshire Police and I am grateful to the jury for returning a guilty verdict and ensuring justice has been served.”
Sukaitis, formerly of Chaucer Close in Corby, will be sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on September 18.
A Northants based NHS mental health trust will take over the care of patients at St Andrew’s Healthcare.
NHFT, which is led by Angela Hillery, will step into the breach, following a series of scandals and poor care at the Northampton based hospital complex.
NHS bosses ordered the removal of all patients earlier this year, although there has been criticism of the progress and now a number of patients will remain, under the care of NHFT.
The agreement includes medium and low secure care, the national D/deaf service and acquired brain injury services, alongside care for a number of other patients where this is needed to support safe continuity of care. Patients will remain on the Northampton site, with services expected to be delivered from William Wake House and Fitzroy House in the longer term.
NHFT will lease the buildings.
The future of the charity appears uncertain. The Charity Commission has opened a statutory enquiry into governance.
St Andrew’s Healthcare’s boss Trevor Torrington, who took over after the scandals had broken, said ‘patient care and patient safety’ is the top priority.
He said:
“We have been working hard with colleagues from NHFT and NHS England to ensure this achieves the best outcomes for our patients. The change will also mean that a large number of specialist healthcare roles are expected to remain in Northampton, as key St Andrew’s employees are transferred to the Trust.”
A Northamptonshire disability campaigner has said he is “relieved” that the council has listened to residents and decided not to reintroduce parking charges for Blue Badge owners in its town centre car parks.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) confirmed on Wednesday (July 1) that it would not reintroduce charges for people with Blue Badges, and for visitors to Northampton’s country parks, after listening to “further public feedback” from a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultation.
Nick Wilson, known online as The Disabled Adventurer, said:
“We need to be removing barriers to people getting outdoors and accessing the high street, not putting more up.
“Those who pushed back on this decision – disabled residents, carers, families – should feel proud right now. They made the noise and this win belongs to the whole community.
“But Blue Badge parking doesn’t solely impact our residents, it also influences accessible tourism, which can benefit our local economy. When a destination makes itself genuinely welcoming – and free blue badge parking is a very visible signal of that – people come back, they bring others, and they tell their community.
“Keeping free blue badge parking sends exactly the right message – Northants is a place that welcomes disabled people and their families, not just tolerates them.”
Leader of the Conservative opposition, Cllr Daniel Lister, called the move “another Reform u-turn”.
“This is a welcome decision, although these proposals should never have been put forward in the first place. Charging blue badge holders would have punished people for a need they cannot avoid.”
However, he warned that WNC’s decision to go ahead with the increased parking charges in Northampton car parks and remove the weekend free parking period would be “the real blow for our high street”.
Cllr Sally Keeble, leader of the Labour group, added:
“It’s a u-turn over the Blue Badges, however the council is still keeping Northampton shoppers as a cash cow.
“It’s still penalising people who shop in Northampton and I still think it’s unfair, but at least it’s something better for disabled people.”
West Northants Liberal Democrat leader Jonathan Harris said:
“We’re obviously pleased with the shift in position, but it’s much wider than just car parking.
“This links to our motion that we’ve got coming up at full council to try and make sure the council looks through the lens of disabled people before we end up here, because we shouldn’t have ended up in this position.”
Leader of WNC, Cllr Mark Arnull, said:
“The opposition just simply don’t get it! Yet again we see synthetic rage and more gaslighting of the electorate. After decades of Conservative financial mismanagement in Northamptonshire, which sent the former County Council bust, residents will be paying the interest bill for years to come.
“My administration is all about listening to residents and informing them of the difficult choices we face, and the reasons why. We’ll always look at all of the options on the table.
“Whilst our opposition still fail to understand why they are where they are, Reform UK are turning West Northants Council around and getting things done. We will continue to be transparent on the difficult decisions that lie ahead.”
By Nadia Lincoln
Corby MP Lee Barron has spoken out in parliament about the lack of information being given to the family of Harshita Brella.
Indian-born Harshita was murdered in Corby in November 2024, after suffering domestic abuse. Her husband Pankaj Lamba is wanted in connection with her murder but remains free, after fleeing the UK.
Harshita’s family travelled to Corby recently to raise awareness and meet police. But Lee Barron says the family needs monthly updates from police and feels isolated.
The leader of the house of commons, Alan Campbell, said he would receive a letter from the Home Office shortly.
Plans to build nine warehouses and a new country park on green space near a West Northamptonshire village have been rejected after a gruelling four-hour planning meeting.
The 40-hectare site is located above the A5 between Old Stratford and Cosgrove, stretching across four large fields which include the former Furtho Pit gravel works.
Protestors gathered outside the West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) planning meeting, held at the Towcester Forum, raising concerns about the increased traffic, height, and visual impact of the units, and the loss of green space and damage to habitats, culminating four years of opposition to the warehouse plans.
Proposals for the large employment site, which the applicant Frontier Estates branded as Frontier Park, consisted of almost 70,000sqm of floorspace, with the largest industrial shed coming in at 36,287sqm and a height of 18.9m.
WNC said that the plans received nearly 3,500 objections from members of the public. However, councillors were recommended by planning officers to approve the warehouse site, giving significant weight to the ‘substantial’ economic benefits, the creation of 955 jobs and the allocation of the site for employment use in previous years.
Dominic Woodfield, a professional ecologist speaking in objection to the plans, told the committee that the area is a designated local wildlife site which would be “completely destroyed” by the sheds.
“You have clear and abundant reasons for refusal,” he said, “A scheme that is non-compliant with an outdated allocation cannot outweigh or justify the destruction of a rare habitat of at least county and arguably regional importance.”
Ward councillor for the area on WNC, Ian McCord, claimed the officer’s recommendation of approval was “tunnel vision” and failed to consider all factors together. He said this included the lack of a roundabout which was requested in the employment allocation, the loss of the wildlife site, and the lack of mixed-use employment.
He concluded: “Alone, none of these issues may be fatal. But, add them up, and you’re miles away from what the policy requires.”
South Northants MP Sarah Bool also spoke against the application, raising concerns that it is a known flood zone and the effect of the industrial sheds on heritage features.
“As should just be clear from the over 3,400 objections, this application fails to meet the requirements of the local and national planning policy and therefore should be rejected,” she said.
Planning agent Peter Frampton, representing the developers, told members that the application should not be determined on the number of objections it had received, but whether they have “substance”.
He added:
“This site is allocated for employment development in an adopted development plan. The framework would require significant weight to be given to developments supporting economic growth, the scheme will provide almost 1,000 jobs when fully occupied.
“There are no sound or clear cut objections overriding these benefits. The economic benefits are massive and should be encouraged at a time when economic growth in this country is urgently needed.”
The meeting also heard that the applicant had received interest from an organisation wishing to occupy the largest unit, which they said would fund the complete build out of the entire warehouse park in one phase, lasting around 15 months.
After adjourning the meeting for a short while to come up with the exact wording for their reasons for refusal, councillors overwhelmingly voted to reject the application – with eight in favour of turning down the scheme and one against.
The reasons given were the loss of the ecologically diverse wildlife on the site – and concerns about the proposed mitigation to move it to the country park – and the impact of the large warehouse units on nearby homes on Stratford Road.
Developers have a right to appeal the decision to the planning inspectorate if they choose.
Local campaign group, ‘Stop 3,000 Trucks’ said the result shows what “people power” looks like.
“This is a huge moment for our communities and a powerful reminder that when local people come together, their voices really can make a difference. This campaign was built on the passion, determination and generosity of ordinary people who care deeply about where they live,” they added.
By Nadia Lincoln
Westminster Watch
Kettering MP Rosie Wrighting has featured in Private Eye in connection with hospitality she received from video sharing platform YouTube.
The magazine drew attention to the fact the Labour MP had been a guest of the Google owned company at this year’s Brit Awards. As noted on her register of interests, she had complimentary tickets to the music event (at a cost of £1,900) and then YouTube picked up the £550 cost of the MP’s travel and hospitality.
Private Eye stated the Kettering MP had posted on X the day before the government’s social media ban for under 16s was announced that she had ‘turned to educational content on YouTube’ when she was younger and on the day of the ban on June 15 she said in the House of Commons that while she understood the concerns about social media, she also is aware of its positives, citing how it may help teenage boys without a father, who may use the platform to learn how to shave.
NN Journal has contacted the MP for comment, which has not been received at the time of publication.