The plans, which are still in their early stages, also include proposals for a new primary school, a doctor's surgery, shops, a country park and a park-and-ride scheme.
Planning experts from Northampton Borough Council (NBC) have said that council
lors should raise 'no objections' when next Wednesday its planning committee discusses the scheme, to build up to 2,600 houses off Weedon Road, between Duston and Harpole.
In a report put before the committee, the authority's planning policy and conservation manager, Paul Lewin, highlights some major concerns about the proposals, which have been expressed by the Environment Agency, Anglian Water and transport experts.
He said: "It is apparent that although the proposed development contains many positive features, such as the levels of environmental performance of the housing and the country park, there are substantial issues that need to be resolved.
"In particular, transportation, flooding, open-space provision, education provision and other social and physical infrastructure have not been sufficiently bottomed out at this stage."
The proposed development site stretches from the boundary of Princess Marina Hospital to Norwood Farm, close to Harpole.
The development would include a primary school with 420 places, a 370-acre country park, and a park-and-ride scheme which would take up to 1,000 cars. But the Environment Agency has raised concerns that the development may be unsustainable and Anglian Water has said there is currently insufficient capacity in its network to support the development.
Taking their concerns into account, Northampton Borough Council's planning committee has been advised not to raise any official objections, but to highlight concerns that a number of issues still need to be dealt with.
The committee's views will be passed to the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC), which will make a final decision on part of the scheme, and South Northamptonshire Council, which will decide on the rest. The site straddles the boundary between the two councils.
The full article contains 351 words and appears in Northampton Chron & Echo newspaper.
