Family-run business in Northampton says it 'won't survive' if chaos at controversial relief road continues

Gary and Cheryl Barnett, owners of Sandy Lane Plants, have been hit hard by the controversial delays to the Sandy Lane Relief Road (SLRR).

Sandy Lane, which sits between Duston and Harpole, has been closed to thousands of motorists since June 2023 for reconstruction works as part of wider plans to build hundreds of new homes in the area.

The road was initially scheduled to reopen on April 1 however due to a host of issues by developers working on the road – Miller Homes and Vistry – the road will not reopen until the end of June.

This week, Cheryl Barnett wrote to the developers and WNC saying she does not know if her business can continue to lose money because of the affects the construction is having on passing trade.

Cheryl said: “Knowing that the road is not opening now until the end of June, I am extremely concerned that April, May and June are my busiest months of the year and I cannot, as a small business, sustain this kind of loss. l have checked our takings from April 2023 to April 2024 and they are less than half.

“Historically, I was told by Millers that the northern section of SLRR would be open by 31 August 2023, for access to the two businesses here on Sandy Lane via a temporary link road. This has not happened and instead of three months disruption we will have suffered over 12 months disruption. However, when it suited developers we had to use this link road for two weeks and unlock a padlocked fence.

“The council should never have approved planning without knowing the SLRR could be completed in a timely manner. The disruption not only to ourselves but the residents of Harpole, Duston and surrounding areas is unacceptable.”

The Barnetts are now demanding that the northern part of the road is opened for customers to access to their business.

Cheryl added: “The only way I can keep my business running at this crucial time of year is if the road is open from both the southern and northern routes. If this has to be manned during opening hours then you will have to pay for this.”

Responding, leader of the council, Adam Brown, said WNC is making ‘every effort to ensure that the road opens as soon as possible, while also being safe for road users and neighbouring residents’.

Miller Homes says it is having an internal meeting next week to discuss access from the north.

This newspaper asked West Northants Council (WNC) if it will be penalising developers for the delays.

A WNC spokesman said: “The developers are not in breach of planning consent, and development of the road is actually ahead of the timescales set out in the planning approval, so there would be no enforcement action to take at this point.

“Day-to-day handling of access issues for businesses remain the responsibility of the developers but we continue working with them to open a route as soon as possible, to everyone’s benefit.”

A petition has recently been started to help Sandy Lane Plants survive. The petition reads: “This is not just about broken promises, it's about supporting local businesses that form the backbone of our community. It's about ensuring that those who contribute so much to our lives are treated fairly and with respect. Let us stand together as a community and support Sandy Lane Nursery during these challenging times.”

Click here to view the petition.

Developers previously told this newspaper that any scenarios around compensation would be down to West Northants Council (WNC) because it was the local authority which gave the go-ahead to the plans.