Residents continue fight against WNC to stop village becoming shortcut for new £54.5m road

Boughton Parish Council (BPC) said West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) will still install a 20mph limit and speed cushions on Moulton Lane, but traffic will be electronically monitored for 18 months. If volumes exceed an agreed threshold, WNC has reportedly promised to reconsider closing the road.

BPC said traffic counting apparatus will be installed this month, and volumes will be monitored monthly. If traffic rises by more than 2.1 percent per annum above baseline during the 18-month trial, WNC has committed to revisiting the road closure option.

The measures are designed to prevent Boughton becoming a rat run once the relief road opens. The NWRR links Kingsthorpe to New Sandy Lane at Harlestone Firs and connects to the recently opened Sandy Lane Relief Road (SLRR). BPC will sit on a working group with WNC to finalise the traffic arrangements before the road opens.

A resident said: “We have won a stay of execution. The measures will be monitored over 18 months, and if traffic rises above the agreed level, the council will go back to the drawing board and reconsider a full road closure.”

BPC added: “The parish council recognises that WNC are the ultimate decision-makers under planning law, but we also believe it is important that the strong and clear views of our community are respected. Independent legal advice confirms that WNC are not legally bound to adopt our preferred option but must consult with us to agree the detail. That said, we will continue to work constructively with WNC to ensure that the chosen measures are carefully monitored and that further action can be taken if the agreed scheme does not adequately protect the village.”

Parish councillors said WNC’s own figures show that closing Moulton Lane would cut traffic by 97 percent in the morning peak and 93 percent in the afternoon, compared with a 43 percent reduction from the 20mph plan.

WNC has not commented on the latest residents’ update. In July, the council said: “The council’s imperative is to ensure that the entire road network operates as efficiently as possible for all WNC residents and businesses… We take a balanced view, considering both quantitative and qualitative feedback in context.”

The NWRR has been years in the making. First approved in 2020, the road runs from the Windhover pub in Kingsthorpe through to New Sandy Lane at Harlestone Firs. Work began in March 2022 and has been completed in phases: Persimmon built the first section from the A428 to a roundabout near Grange Farm, the council delivered the railway bridge (completed July 2024), and Persimmon finished the final section in August 2025.

Despite completion, the road is not yet open. The final section, completed on August 15, remains closed.

Cllr Vincent Clive, Reform UK councillor for Duston, said: “Delays have primarily been due to ensuring compliance with planning requirements and safety standards. Essential steps to ensure the road is safe and able to be fully operational. On the grapevine I’ve heard three to six weeks.”

WNC declined to any of Chron’s questions about traffic calming measures in Boughton in relation to the NWRR.