Campaigners to film Northampton's orbital route from the air in bid to highlight countryside loss

Protestors calling for a rethink of the Northern Orbital Road in Northampton are set to make a video about the impact the long called-for bypass could have - from the sky.
By The Newsroom
Published 7th Aug 2017, 18:34 BST
Updated 12th Sep 2017, 12:12 BST
Campaigners against the orbital route at Church Furlong Farm, Moulton Lane, Boughton, which they fear will be developed if the major bypass is built.Campaigners against the orbital route at Church Furlong Farm, Moulton Lane, Boughton, which they fear will be developed if the major bypass is built.
Campaigners against the orbital route at Church Furlong Farm, Moulton Lane, Boughton, which they fear will be developed if the major bypass is built.

Consultation on the proposed North-West Relief Road and orbital route ended last week, with more than 500 people taking part.

The proposed new road will eventually run from the A5199 near Chapel Brampton to the A43 and is aimed at easing traffic in the north of the town, particularly Kingsthorpe.

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But in less than a month a Facebook group against the scheme has attracted nearly 900 members and is growing daily.

Many fear the orbital route will destroy an area of countryside near Boughton.Many fear the orbital route will destroy an area of countryside near Boughton.
Many fear the orbital route will destroy an area of countryside near Boughton.

Now a crowdfunding bid has been launched to film an aerial video of the proposed route to highlight the green swathe of countryside the road will run through.

Boughton resident Tracey Onley, who launched the Facebook group, said: “This is so important to raise awareness, not just of the road project, but also what could be at risk for seemingly no improvement in the quality of life of local people. We need to put people and our environment at the heart of planning, not the profits of big developers.”

Though opinions on the Facebook group are varied, many fear the road will lead to housing developers "infilling" the land in between the northern urban edge of town and the bypass itself.

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“The focus of the consultation was all about the ‘where’ rather than a necessary emphasis on ‘why’ and ‘what’,” said Boughton resident and group member Simon Taylor in a video he posted on the page.

Many fear the orbital route will destroy an area of countryside near Boughton.Many fear the orbital route will destroy an area of countryside near Boughton.
Many fear the orbital route will destroy an area of countryside near Boughton.

“We’ve had routes drawn on maps but with no level of detail that anybody could truly evaluate," he added.

The county council's consultation website states: “Completing a new ring road to the north of Northampton will reduce the amount of traffic passing through northern parts of Northampton, and a number of surrounding villages such as Boughton, Moulton and Pitsford.”

However, some in the group have questioned the traffic modelling used in the consultation to adequately measure journey times, as much of the detail around the siting of junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights has yet to be decided.

The group's crowdfunding campaign to raise £800 is a quarter of the way to its target and can be viewed {www.crowdfunder.co.uk/northern-orbital-route-community-awareness-video/?| here|.

Related topics:NorthamptonFacebook