EXCLUSIVE: Outrage at latest plans for 21,000 new homes in the county
LATEST plans showing where thousands of new houses could be built around Northampton, Daventry and Towcester were published this morning, to the anger of many residents and politicians.
The West Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit (JPU), a group made up of officials from Northampton, Daventry and Towcester, have outlined where more than 21,000 houses could be built between now and 2026.
The plans replace a similar scheme published in 2009, which suggested 40,000 houses could be built in the area.
Despite the reduction in the number of new houses expected to be built, critics of the plans have attacked them for being imposed on the three towns.
The Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire, Andrea Leadsom, said: “I’m absolutely livid. Local planning is in such a mess, It’s got to be handed back to the people, and stop all this top-down stuff.
“All they’ve done with these plans is pick a number that’s smaller than last time and say ‘let’s see if we can get away with it’. I’m absolutely disgusted.”
When the last set of housing plans was published in 2009, hundreds of people from a number of small Northamptonshire villages took to the streets of Northampton in protest, claiming the developments would wipe out their communities.
The latest plans do not mention specific villages as areas of redevelopment, but do highlight areas such as Upton, Kings Heath, Whitehills and Brackmills.
The Conservative MP for Northampton North, Michael Ellis, took part in the 2009 protest march.
He said: “These new plans sound very disappointing. I took part in the 2009 march to support the people who opposed the ill-thought-through expansion and it’s imperative the people of Northamptonshire now have a proper say in the future of the area.”
But not all of the area’s MPs have opposed the latest plans. The Conservative MP for Northampton South, Brian Binley, opposed the 2009 scheme because it included plans to build 18,000 houses on a site stretching from Grange Park to Little Houghton.
He said the removal of that scheme, and the reduction in overall housing figures in the latest plans, should be welcomed: “The figures delight me in one major respect, because the crazy plan for 18,000 houses to the south west of Northampton, which would have straddled a number of villages, has been scrapped.
“I’m delighted the planners who thought that would be a sensible solution to some of Northampton’s problems have seen sense. It is true however that there is a need for more houses in Northampton for the people who haven’t been able to buy them. And we need them to be affordable so people can actually get mortgages to buy them.”
Members of the JPU will meet next week to discuss the plans further before they are put out for public consultation.
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There are 33 comments to this article
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Common sense
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 11:01 PMConservative MP Andrea Leadsom and Northants BNP in agreement that the plans will be torn up--see related article under politics on Chron web site Bring back John Prescott--all is forgiven
Common sense
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 11:01 PMConservative MP Andrea Leadsom and Northants BNP in agreement that the plans will be torn up--see related article under politics on Chron web site Bring back John Prescott--all is forgiven
Finker
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 03:48 PMWell put Ladymuck, one wonders if Pruned knows that all the tractors, TVs, and power stations they benefit from in the country didn't actually grow in a field - imagine the horror if somebody put a power station or factory near them.
lady muck
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 11:11 PMpruned Thanks for the casual assumption that us townies are so thick that we don't know where the food comes from. It seems from your viewpoint that the countryside should be left untouched and we townies would revert to Victorian levels of occupancy in our inner-city terraces. Will it be alright if we come tothe countryside on Sunday afternoons ? (I promise not to leave the gates open).
Finker
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 04:33 PMPruned, if we are that short of land why were subsidies paid to farmers for all the over production that led to food mountains that were left to rot?
here and there
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 07:10 PMThe recession will not last until 2026 we all know how responsive housebuilders are. It is good to plan now so that planners and councillors are ready to negotiate securing infrastructure and more specific site details such as design etc within these designated areas. Northampton was designated a new town and this pretence for development will not go away, so instead of moaning why don't we work within the system to help secure a future that will see Northampton develop and meet its potential I am, however, glad to see an overall reduction in total housing numbers
Pruned
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 06:19 AMI think the most worrying aspect is the encroachment on green field areas as these fields, which most townies want to build on supply our food and should be appreciated that the country apart from lokking good is a vast food factory which this country needs. Sadly most people in towns think their food comes from Sainsbury's etc in nice little packs from somewhere but have no clue from where, the other evening on TV a group of children were asked where their food came from and did not know apart from Mum buys it from the supermarket. With the price of oil, grain and rice rising ever more quickly this country will need the farmers and their fields even more as we did during two wars, if we keep expanding into the country there will be little space to grow anything upon reducing this country to fourth world country never mind the third world one it is now.
Pruned
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 06:19 AMI think the most worrying aspect is the encroachment on green field areas as these fields, which most townies want to build on supply our food and should be appreciated that the country apart from lokking good is a vast food factory which this country needs. Sadly most people in towns think their food comes from Sainsbury's etc in nice little packs from somewhere but have no clue from where, the other evening on TV a group of children were asked where their food came from and did not know apart from Mum buys it from the supermarket. With the price of oil, grain and rice rising ever more quickly this country will need the farmers and their fields even more as we did during two wars, if we keep expanding into the country there will be little space to grow anything upon reducing this country to fourth world country never mind the third world one it is now.
lady muck
Monday, January 17, 2011 at 09:07 PMChrispy1. i can't see how there can be 21,000 houses built in the brownfield sites which are generall used for high density occupancy flats (including social housing).i just can't help thinking that the village-dwellers will be well-served by pushing all the development into town - not only will their views be retained, but the values of their houses will increase due to a shortage of 'country' property.
Chrispy1
Monday, January 17, 2011 at 07:47 PMThe Count's in his usual good humour I see.....
kingsthorpelass
Monday, January 17, 2011 at 06:28 PMAll these houses yet there are so many people out there who can afford to buy, so is this going to be more council or housing association houses. Will this then mean that it will lead onto to a boom in young parents getting free housing? Of course this is just speculation. The first thing i would like to know is where is all the money going to come from to build these and have the councils in question thought about the enviroment impact this will cause with the more vehicles on the already congested road around northamptonshire, or doesnt this matter as long as more people use northampton town centre
TheCount
Monday, January 17, 2011 at 05:49 PM....And you notice the MPs are out in support of it....do they have nice houses in the country ?
TheCount
Monday, January 17, 2011 at 04:59 PMOutrageous...houses for people to live in, how dare they contemplate such a thing!!!! What we really need is more and more blocks of flats for the NUMPTIES to invest in...I mean NIMBIES. In reality these people are selfish, despicable and anti-social and the scourge of modern day britain. They want to keep their house prices high and live in a nice environemt while the rest of us can go rot elsewhere. Forget 21000, we need 210,000 houses.
TheCount
Monday, January 17, 2011 at 04:54 PMMore houses, surely not !!!! Immigration rife, millions more people in the country but wait...the nimby's want them all to live in shanty towns while they all live in their nice country houses. Young people unable to afford a house...build more houses for them...no way, let them live in a shanty town too, then the nimby's will have a nice place to live still. Nimbys...sounds a bit like NUMPTIES.
poppiesforever
Monday, January 17, 2011 at 04:39 PMWhats the point? most will be purchased as investment properties and duly filled with migrant workers,bringing the county to its knees
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