Another 1,400 homes could be coming to Northampton - but residents beg council to reject the plan

Homes England's site off Weedon Road in Upton would include space for a new primary school, shops, a community centre, healthcare facilities, green space and 15 per cent affordable housing.

Northampton Borough Council planning officers want to grant permission for the development on Upton Lodge Farm despite opposition from residents who feel it should have been built on the nearby former St Crispin Hospital.

Neighbours say the area is currently a 'popular leisure area' and is 'full of wildlife' that would be 'decimated' by the development - the Environment Agency has no objections though.

The application, first submitted in 2017, will have a primary school, a 'local centre' made up of a convenience store and up to four other retail units with apartments above on the 37-hectare site.

It will also have approximately 24 hectares of green space including allotments, play spaces, parks and gardens.

Should the plan be approved, it would be subject to an agreement where the developers would pay towards highway improvements as well as public transport, infrastructure, education and health services.

"The site is located in a sustainable location on the edge of Northampton, which will be adequately served by the necessary infrastructure and it is considered that the environmental and highway impacts can be adequately mitigated or reduced to an acceptable degree," the officer's report states.

The planning committee will consider the plans at a meeting on Tuesday (July 30).