Inquiry due on plans for 80 homes near Northamptonshire village
A PUBLIC inquiry will take place in Towcester next week to decide whether to grant planning permission to build 80 houses near Bugbrooke.
In July 2011, South Northamptonshire Council (SNC) rejected plans put forward by the M Adams & E W Harrison Will Trust to build a new development of homes to the south east of the village off Pilgrims Lane.
The developer has appealed against this decision and the Planning Inspectorate will now make a final judgement on the proposal following a public inquiry, due to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday at the SNC headquarters in Towcester.
Bugbrooke resident, Andrew Bodman, who will be speaking against the application at the public inquiry, said the proposed housing development would destroy an area of countryside popular with walkers.
Mr Bodman said: “It is a very popular area for walkers and there are three official footpaths.
“If the land was developed walkers would have to walk several hundred yards around the development. It is such a great area of countryside we don’t want to destroy it.”
The developer has appealed the original refusal on the grounds that the district council is not adhering to its five-year rural housing planning policy.
A representative from SNC will attend the public inquiry to defend the council’s position. A final decision will be made by the Planning Inspectorate about four weeks after the inquiry ends.
Mr Bodman said he was not opposed to all housing development around Bugbrooke as he was in support of application to build 70 houses at the west end of the village.
More than 100 letters from local residents, including Daventry MP Chris Heaton-Harris, were sent to SNC to oppose the application to build 80 houses.
Issues raised by people against the development included an increase in traffic problems and over-subscription of local schools
Bob Clayton, headteacher of nearby Campion School told the Chronicle & Echo, that the plans could have a “significant impact”.
He said: “It is difficult to have a view regarding the potential impact but what I can say is the school’s projected admissions numbers would suggest we will be slightly over-subscribed in future, therefore it is likely to have a significant impact on the school’s capacity to accommodate future students.”
Councillor John Curtis (Ind, Heyfords and Bugbrooke) said the impact of the 80 houses would be greater than if they were positioned elsewhere in the village.
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Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
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HAG52
Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 09:21 AMPerhaps we'd all be better off without the likes of 'Jackson' and those ridiculous remarks. Sensible mature discussion would be appropriate. The Count could always go and live in a City if houses are what's wanted. There are plenty of empty houses there, and it's cheaper there, too. The whole purpose of an enquiry, is for the objections to be aired, and the proposals to be discussed. It is still a matter for the majority, surely!
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Friday, February 3, 2012 at 07:33 PMKnock the whole of Bugbrooke down. It was built on farmland and is an ecological eyesore, as well as having a stupid name. Walks would be better without Bugsbroke.
TheCount
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 03:15 PMWhy do we need an inquiry, we need more houses. We need cheaper houses.
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