'Bland estate has torturous roads'
The Grange Park housing development on the outskirts of Northampton has been described as 'homogenised' with 'torturous roads' by design experts.
South Northamptonshire Council commissioned experts from Milton Keynes to look into 'lessons learned' from the development of Grange Park.
And a report which will be seen by members of the authority next week, claims that although the area is seen as a 'desirable place to live', aspects of it could have been designed better.
The report criticised both the style of houses in Grange Park and the layout of the roads, claiming people often get lost in the area because of a lack of any landmark buildings.
It said: "In parts, the development looks homogenised and lacks a sense of place.
"The road layout within the development in places is rather torturous and given the lack of architectural distinctiveness within some residential plots, users, especially visitors, lose their sense of place and often get lost."
The view of the estate is expected to upset many Grange Park residents, but South Northamptonshire Council's member for the area, Councillor Tharik Jainu-Deen (Con, Grange Park), said he could understand a lot of what the report said.
The Grange Park resident added: "It can be a bit like a rabbit warren, and perhaps one of the biggest issues we've seen is on-street parking, which can make it very difficult for people to drive around.
"There are also a lot of people in Grange Park who commute to London to work, so in the daytime it can be quite a lonely place to be.
"It's not got that feeling of being a proper village with a high street and shops, but it is still a nice area.
"I think we just need to build on the community spirit that's already there."
Members of South Northamptonshire Council's policy review and development committee will discuss the Grange Park report during a meeting at the council's headquarters in Towcester on Tuesday, September 7.
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