‘This is the hill we’ve chosen to die on’: 2,500 residents fight Reform-led council's housing plans threatening Northampton woodland

More than 1,500 individually signed letters have been submitted to Reform-led West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to stop housing being built right next to Harlestone Firs, with hundreds more expected.

The letters oppose proposals in the draft West Northamptonshire Local Plan which identify land on the edge of the popular woodland for housing.

The site currently forms part of a protected “green wedge” between Northampton and nearby villages, but the draft plan proposes removing that status so homes could be built there.

A WNC spokesperson said residents could have their say on the proposals during the consultation period, which runs until March 27.

Harlestone Parish Council chairman Sarah Stock said: “We’ve got roughly another thousand letters at the moment. This is the hill we have chosen to die on. We’re hoping for more in the coming weeks.

"Harlestone residents are appalled by the proposal. We feel very strongly that eroding the countryside like this is bad for the village and bad for the town – it’s a much loved recreation spot and putting housing right next to it will be massively detrimental to Harlestone Firs.

"Moreover, there is a refusal notice sitting on the land following the non-strategic planning committee’s decision to refuse planning permission for 100 homes in this exact location back in October ’25. It feels very un-democratic to us.”

Ms Stock added the submissions were deliberately collected as individual letters rather than a petition so each one counts as a formal objection.

She said: “Petitions don't count for anything in planning terms, so what we've actually gathered is individually signed and dated letters.”

“You have to provide your name, address, postcode, sign and date, and it has to be an individual letter for it to count.”

“They are all the same, but it carries more weight than a petition.”

Ms Stock said around 1,500 letters were delivered by hand to the council’s Angel Square offices on Friday (March 6).

Councillors refused planning permission for 100 homes on the same land in October 2025.

Developer Barwood Development Securities Ltd later appealed the decision to the Planning Inspectorate and asked for the case to be decided through a three-day public inquiry. A decision is still awaited.

Ms Stock said residents were worried that including the land in the draft local plan could affect the outcome of the appeal.

She said: “We are concerned about the appeal. The land being included in the local plan makes it much harder to defend the decision.

“If this land isn’t allocated for housing, we’ve got a better case at the Planning Inspectorate – but if it is included, then we’ve got no case at all.

“We didn’t expect council officers to undermine a democratically made decision [by placing the land in the local draft] – that completely threw us.”

The proposed site sits next to Harlestone Firs and immediately south of York Way. The area was originally designated as a green wedge to keep open countryside between Northampton and nearby villages and prevent settlements merging.

Right next to the green wedge sits the large Dallington Grange estate, where up to 3,000 homes are already planned.

West Northamptonshire Council said residents can still comment on the proposals while the consultation remains open.

A WNC spokesman responded, saying: “Residents can have their say on the proposals through the council’s consultation, which runs until 27 March 2026.

“WNC is currently consulting on the new draft local plan, which sets out how the area could grow and develop up to 2043. It includes updated policies on housing, town centres, employment land, infrastructure and the environment, and will guide future planning decisions across West Northamptonshire.

“This is an early stage in the plan-making process and no decisions have yet been made. All comments submitted during the consultation will be reviewed and used to shape the next version of the Plan before it progresses later this year. We encourage everyone with an interest in the future of their area to take part. The draft Local Plan, supporting evidence and online survey are available at: www.westnorthants.gov.uk/consultations/west-northamptonshire-local-plan-help-shape-future-your-area and the consultation runs until 27 March 2026.”