Council threatens enforcement action against Northampton developer over debt homeowners could be forced to pay

Residents on the Lakeside Close gated estate off Mill Lane, Dallington, were first issued with demand notices by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) in August 2025, with the total liability amounting to £123,000.

The charge relates to a Community Infrastructure Levy, which developers are required to pay towards local infrastructure such as roads, schools, parks and community facilities.

The amount was divided between the estate's 14 homes, with each household's share based on the size of their property. Some residents faced bills of around £7,000.

The council has confirmed it is “only actively pursuing the developer for the outstanding CIL liability”.

The Chronicle & Echo first contacted Archway Developments director Brett Twelftree about the dispute in August 2025, when he said the matter was going to be resolved “in the coming days”.

After this newspaper began investigating, residents were told the developer had started making payments towards the CIL liability.

In July 2026, this newspaper reported that the dispute between WNC and Archway Developments remained unresolved, almost a year after residents first raised concerns.

Now, four months on, the debt is still not paid.

A council spokesman said: “The council has been dealing with the developers to clarify the CIL charge. Final correspondence has now been sent to them.

“If further payment is not made, the council will take formal enforcement action in accordance with the CIL regulations. At this time, the council is still only actively pursuing the developer for the outstanding CIL liability.”

Archway Developments was approached for comment in relation to the council’s latest statement but did not respond at the time of publication.

One resident said they welcomed the council's latest response, adding they were “pleased to see the council are actively pursuing Archway for their overdue money in accordance with the CIL regulations and will be taking formal enforcement action to do this”.

In September, WNC said £84,000 of the original £123,000 remained unpaid. This week, the council the outstanding amount was £79,116. .

Under CIL regulations, homeowners can ultimately become liable if the debt cannot be recovered from the developer. WNC has stressed, however, that it is currently only actively pursuing Archway Developments.

In July 2026, Mr Twelftree, from Archways, told the Chronicle & Echo: "As this matter remains the subject of an ongoing dispute between Archway Developments and West Northamptonshire Council, it would not be appropriate to comment in detail through the media.

"What I can say is that this is not simply a case of an unpaid liability. There are a number of substantive matters in dispute between the parties, including the council's administration of the Community Infrastructure Levy process and the information that has been provided to us. We have made payments towards the liability and continue to engage with the council in an effort to resolve the outstanding issues."

He added: "This is not 'common practice' for Archway Developments. We take our legal and financial obligations seriously and have consistently sought to resolve this matter.

"We do not accept the suggestion that residents should ultimately be responsible for this liability. We have always recognised the concerns of residents and continue to work towards resolving matters appropriately.

"As discussions with the council are ongoing, I do not intend to comment further at this stage."