Drone footage shows 'heart-breaking destruction' of precious Northampton woodland to make way for new road and 3,000 homes

Drone footage shows the destruction of part of Harlestone Firs to make way for the new Dallington Grange Housing development by Persimmon Homes and the North West Relief Road (NWRR), carried out by West Northants Council (WNC) and Persimmon.

Residents on social media have said: “Should never have been allowed such destruction.”

Another said: “Heartbreaking. The destruction of our countryside and wildlife.”

Another added: “It’s a disgrace how this happens in the so-called name of progress.”

It was just last month, the public were left upset with the destruction of a ‘hidden gem’ poppy field at Harlestone Firs also caused by this development.

Responding, a spokeswoman for Persimmon Homes said: "As part of the plans to create up to 3,000 new homes at Harlestone Grange in partnership with David Wilson Homes, a significant investment has been made towards promoting biodiversity and open space in the area.

"Nearly four and a half times as many trees (approximately 8,000 new native trees and shrubs) are being planted to replace those felled, providing a much more diverse and resilient area of woodland habitats. As well as these measures, Persimmon will be providing vast areas of strategic open space, formal sports facilities and children’s play areas as part of this sustainable community."

A WNC spokeswoman said: “The land is privately owned and is being carried out on behalf of the landowner, largely in preparation for the construction of a section of the North West Relief Road as approved under the outline planning permission. The application was subject to ecological and arboricultural reports which assessed the impact and set out the necessary mitigation which will see significantly more trees planted than those removed. None of the trees on Harlestone Firs are protected and planning permission is not required to remove them.”

The Althorp Estate, which owns Harlestone Firs, is reportedly behind schedule on the tree planting project despite having a two-year timeline for completion. In emails seen by Chronicle and Echo, they anticipate that planting will begin in the New Year, possibly by spring. However, nothing has yet been officially confirmed to Chronicle and Echo as we await further details.

Once the road is complete, it will run around the north-west corner of Northampton by linking the A428 Harlestone Road to the A5199 Welford Road and will eventually join up with a planned Northern Orbital Road, running to the A43 near Moulton.

Regarding the homes, outline permission was granted for the development in 2021 by the now-defunct Northampton Borough Council for up to 3,000 homes to the north-west of Northampton town centre.

On the NWRR, Cllr Phil Larratt, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “Persimmon have only recently started work on their section of the road and have programmed to complete it by summer 2025, after which the formal highways adoption process can take place.

"This means that – subject to Persimmon’s progress, the adoption process, and any unforeseen delays that may be encountered – we may be in a position to open the new road by the end of 2025.

“Once completed, it will create an unbroken link across the western side of Northampton between the A508 and the A4500. Its aim is to accommodate housing growth at Dallington Fields, reduce congestion on overcrowded roads through nearby villages and parts of Northampton, while improving road connectivity.”