Plans in the pipeline to build '800 homes' on land next to quiet village on edge of Northampton

Plans are in the pipeline to build 800 homes next to a quiet village on the edge of Northampton.

Homes England has submitted a scoping opinion to West Northants Council (WNC) in regards to building a huge residential-led development on land west and south west of Great Houghton village.

Great Houghton Parish Council wrote to the developer, saying: “As you will be aware, parish councils are not allowed to comment at the preapplication stage – and in any event, detailed plans have not yet been drawn up to enable us to form a view. However, we are writing to summarise the main representations made by us at the workshop/consultation afternoon.

"Great Houghton has around 300 houses, so the proposed development is almost three times the size of this village.

"Further developments are both being built on and proposed in respect of nearby land with a consequent cumulative effect.

“A balance between being close to but separate from Northampton and a rural setting is also something which our residents value.”

The parish’s other key concerns are with increased traffic, oversubscribed and underfunded local services, and building on agricultural land.

WNC has five weeks to respond to the application.

Plans to build industrial units on land north of the village and north of the Bedford Road were recently refused by West Northants Council.

Objecting to those plans, Sarah Williams, chair of Great Houghton Parish Council, wrote: “I want to address the largest problem, the loss of the separation of Great Houghton from urban Northampton.

“The semi-rural setting of our village is part of what gives the village its character, local distinctiveness, and sense of place. It’s also important to our residents.

"A developer intends to apply to put 800 houses at the top of the village and recently held the consultations for that scheme. I stayed for the first day and listened to what our villagers said. The semi-rural feel and separate identity of the village came at the top of their list of priorities.

“This parcel of land is the last remaining separation between our village and the urban area of Northampton. This development would significantly encroach on our village, close the gap between Great Houghton and the urban area of Northampton and affects the separate nature and semi-rural feel, which is an intrinsic part of its setting and which our residents value.

“It’s not just our village. This land is effectively the gateway to Northampton – it is the first view of the Northampton as you approach it from Bedford, especially as the road is set higher until the Little Houghton turn

“The word “sensitive” is used to describe the site. It is sensitive because of its role in retaining the separate identity which it affords our village and which is part of our character and because it is the visual gateway to Northampton.

"For us, it is manifestly the wrong type of development on the wrong site.”