Residents back plans for new Waitrose supermarket on outskirts of Northampton
ALMOST 100 residents of Wootton have written to Northampton Borough Council to back plans for the construction of a new Waitrose supermarket.
The high-end supermarket chain first revealed plans to build a new store in Newport Pagnell Road in September last year.
Members of the borough council’s planning committee are due to decide if the development should be allowed to go ahead in the next couple of months. But ahead of their meeting, almost 100 people have written to the council to express their views on the new store, with the vast majority expressing strong support for the plans.
One resident wrote to the council to say the development would bring a ‘high quality store to a high quality area of Northampton’.
Another added: “I’m literally so excited about this application that I can hardly breathe.
“Wairose Wootton has got a certain ring to it and I’ve got my fingers crossed that it will be successful.”
Other residents of Wootton welcomed the estimated 120 jobs the development would bring to the area.
One young mother from Woodgate Road, Wootton, said: “It’s fantastic that Waitrose wants to invest in the community of Wootton Fields.
“There are many full time mothers like myself in Wootton looking for part time employment, which is hard to come by.
“The new Waitrose would provide much needed employment.”
But some residents have expressed concern about the impact the supermarket would have on nearby roads.
One letter from a resident of Mortons Bush in Wooton Fields said: “I have serious concerns about the exit out of the site.
“Newport Pagnell Road is already a busy road, especially at peak times, and this development is bound to increase the amount of traffic.”
The 15,000 sq ft store which is planned for the Wootton site would be about half the size of the firm’s other store in Harborough Road, Kingsthorpe.
It would have meat, fish, deli and cheese counters as well as a cafe
The car park which is planned for the store would have space for 450 cars.
A final date for when the borough council’s planning committee will meet to decide whether the scheme should be allowed has not yet been set.
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Comments
There are 10 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Shalom
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 02:25 PMExcellent post, Steve riches. Agree with every word.
NN3man
Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 10:17 AMExcellent idea, I still can't believe an Aldi was built on the Wellingborough Road.
Semilong1
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 05:46 PMFur coat and no knickers. Give em a Netto or Liddl, Four tins of baked beans for 50p they won't resist it.
steve rodhouse
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 05:43 PMFirstly I'm pleased for the residents of Wootton and surrounding area (with the exception of some of the Lords and Ladies of Royal Grange Park) who want this new store. That said, if the NBC give the go ahead to this without first resolving the expansion problems of the Saints and the Cobblers it will stink!
Chrispy1
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 05:24 PMLove the bit about the resident "so excited she could hardly breath". Whatever floats your boat I guess!
SteveRiches
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 03:39 PMIt'll be a goldmine for Waitrose, being close to some rich postcodes. Great idea, much needed, but nontheless a slap in the face for the concept of local democracy given NBC's continual obstruction to any similar development at Sixfields which would have enriched that area and given the Cobblers the boost they so much needed from any retail on their leased land. The legacy of that obstructive attitude can be seen if you take a peep at the bottom of FL League 2, and at the inadequate old concrete block stadium. Then have a look at Stadium MK and weep for our politicians, their vested interests and their vindictiveness and lack of vision.
NorthamptonSouth
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 02:48 PMAs a resident of nearby Collingtree Park I think it's a fantastic idea! Tesco Mereway is going rapidly downhill, and the only other stores in the area are smaller convenience stores... It's something good though so I'm sure the council will reject the development!
matt172
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 02:41 PMSurely the council will block this in the same way as they have for the Saints and Cobblers as they don't want any out of town development, or is it because it is a high end store like Waitrose and not Asda??
Clever Dick
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 01:54 PMIf you look at the proposals in depth you would see that a). The Garden Centre is moving its main entrance next to the new Waitrose entrance and b). The new cafe will be shared by Waitrtose and the Garden Centre. There will not be two.
Common sense
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 12:59 PMHow many Cafes do they need--One in the garden centre, one in the proposed Waitrose..? The reaction in support is just as extreme as those who oppose housing--unbalanced
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