Council rejects plans for 66 new Northamptonshire village homes because they were in the "wrong place"

Proposals for 66 new homes were in the wrong location, not needed and would damage the rural character of one village, according to South Northamptonshire Council's planning committee.
Plans for 66 homes in Rothersthorpe have not been given the green light by councillors.Plans for 66 homes in Rothersthorpe have not been given the green light by councillors.
Plans for 66 homes in Rothersthorpe have not been given the green light by councillors.

On Thursday, January 4 the planning committee refused permission for an outline planning application from Amanda Jones and Hollins Strategic Land for the new housing estate bordered by Kislingbury Road and Banbury Lane in Rothersthorpe.

Planning committee chairman, councillor Rebecca Breese said: “South Northamptonshire has stood up to the challenge presented by the national housing shortage and we can show the district will be fulfilling its obligations for more than a decade.

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“Our local planning policies are clear in that we can only allow house building to take place where there is infrastructure to support it, not only to ensure developments are sustainable, but also to protect the rural character of our villages.

“We had one letter supporting this proposal, and two neutral comments, but 16 local people objected for a variety of reasons, some citing planning policies, others had concerns about traffic and the safety of pedestrians and cyclists as well as flooding and drainage.”

The proposals were outside the confines of Rothersthorpe and in the open countryside where development can only take place in exceptional circumstances.

South Northamptonshire Council can currently show it has sufficient new homes in the planning pipeline to satisfy its housing needs for just over 10 years.

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The proposal was also contrary to policies within the South Northamptonshire Local Plan and West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy, which seek to concentrate house building in Brackley and Towcester while protecting the intrinsic character of the countryside and rural areas.

In addition the proposal would also have had a harmful impact on The Rothersthorpe Conservation Area, committee members say.