23 town centre apartments given planning permission in Northampton

The site, on Castilian Street in the Derngate Conservation Area, had originally been earmarked for 95 apartments with a mix of one-bedroom apartments and studios, and included the demolition of 2 Castilian Street and 41 Derngate.

But following concerns from officers over the scale of the six-storey building, a new amended design retains 2 Castilian Street to be used as a pair of townhouses, while the site will also have six further townhouses and a four-storey building offering 23 apartments.

Members of Northampton Borough Council’s planning committee unanimously approved the scheme when meeting at The Guildhall on Tuesday evening (March 17).

It came despite concerns at the level of disruption the construction phase could have on Derngate. One resident also told councillors that a number of flats had not received consultation letters.

Concerns were also raised about ‘a lack of space’ to store building materials and machinery during construction, and that the buildings were ‘out of keeping’ with the conservation area.

But applicant David Corley said they had ‘taken on board’ concerns from residents and had ‘reduced the size of the scheme’. He also added: “I don’t see any reason to close down Derngate during construction. There’s plenty of space [to store machinery] on site.”

Officers had stated in their report: “The proposal would complement the mix of uses within the town centre and contribute towards the council’s five-year housing supply. The amended design and appearance are considered an appropriate and sympathetic contrast to the surrounding heritage assets and the context of the Derngate Conservation Area, with any harm considered less than substantial and outweighed by the public benefit of the provision of housing and bringing this underused and unattractive site back into use.”

Thirty objections were received from neighbours about the original design, with a further six being submitted in respect of the amended design.

Councillors on the planning committee seemed more phased about the design, with Councillor Jane Birch saying: “I’m disappointed at what is quite a bland facade facing onto Derngate. This is a very important architectural part of the town.”

And Councillor Matt Golby added: “I do think it would be a good use of the space but I share concerns about the appearance.”

But planning chairman Councillor Brian Oldham said: “It’s bringing into use buildings that are an eyesore. It’s a question of balance, and I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”