After 10 years of planning and protests, 140 house development in Northampton neighbourhood is greenlit

Northampton Borough Council has granted planning permission for Xcite Projects to develop a nine-acre space off Lancaster Way, off Towcester Road, after finalising a "sweetener" deal to provide for the local community.

The build has been controversial for the residents of Lancaster Way and the proposal has been contested since 2007.

In the past, residents have protested the road's last green space would need to be torn up for an access mini roundabout to the new development.

They also gathered in anger when the nine-acre plot was cleared of trees and shrubs in a matter of hours by Barry Howard Homes in March last year.

Alongside the 139 new houses, Xcite Projects must build nearly 7,000 square-metres of public land and a play area.

However, the public land will not be adopted by the borough council and will not be managed by a local authority. Instead, the land must be signed off to a management company or the owners of the land within 18 months of completion.

Around 50 of the houses must be affordable housing, and Xcite will have to make contributions to local education, and before any building can take place a toucan crossing must be added to the nearby Towcester Road.

The agreement was issued in December 2017.