Employment park plans for motor speedway in Northamptonshire given the go-ahead

An application for outline planning permission for an employment park on an area of hardstanding at the speedway in Mitchell Road, Corby, has been granted by East Northants Council’s planning management committee.

However, Corby Council is also set to discuss the plans as part of the application site lies within the Corby borough.

The outline proposals with all matters reserved are for 121,703 square metres of floorspace for various uses, including automotive production, light industrial and storage and distribution.

While members of the committee welcomed the jobs boost promised by the employment park, there was some concern about the impact of traffic going to and from the site.

Cllr Roger Glithero welcomed the application but said he also had a couple of concerns about it.

His fears included an increase in traffic going through Deene and he asked if the possibility of introducing a weight limit for HGVs through the village could be considered.

Cllr Dudley Hughes agreed that consideration needed to be given to any increase in traffic in the area, including through Deene, but also said: “It’s nice to see something bringing some work instead of just a shed.”

Access for the development is a reserved matter so will be discussed at a later date, but the report prepared for councillors ahead of Wednesday’s night meeting said vehicular access would be via the Corby North Orbital Road.

A pedestrian/cycle link has been proposed to link east with Mitchell Road, which is the current access to the site.

Committee chairman Cllr Phillip Stearn said getting together with the parish council for Deene could be done ‘at some point’ to discuss any concerns about extra traffic going through the village.

Cllr Glithero added: “Listening to what the officer has said, I would not want to attempt to refuse this application on the basis of what I have said, but can we please add some wording in there that the matter of the rat-run through Deene is looked at with at least mandatory weight limit signs in that village.”

Some car park space will be lost by the approved development, but the speedway will retain 3,000 car parking spaces.