Fresh clue reveals why major road reopening in Northampton has been controversially delayed
A planning application has hinted at why a major Northampton road opening has been controversially delayed for two months and counting.
Sandy Lane, which sits between Duston and Harpole, has been closed to thousands of motorists for a whole year now while a new ‘relief’ road is being built as part of wider plans to build hundreds of new homes in the area.
The Sandy Lane Relief Road (SLRR), which runs parallel to the old Sandy Lane, has been under construction since June 2023 and was supposed to open on April 1.
Previously addressing the delay in April, West Northants Council (WNC) said the delays were caused by developers completing ‘unauthorised works’.
WNC did not disclose which developer it was, but did confirm it was not the two main developers building the two housing estates along Sandy Lane – Miller Homes and Vistry.
In April, this newspaper spoke to residents and businesses in Sandy Lane who revealed that the ‘unauthorised works’ could be either a ‘dangerous’ driveway and / or an adverse camber.
At that time, Sandy Lane resident Nick Chambers spoke out about the ‘dangerous’ driveway constructed at his property.
Mr Chambers said: "They’ve moved our driveway to effectively the brow of a hill so it’s inherently dangerous for us to leave our house on to Sandy Lane with lorries and cars travelling along it. What they’ve said is they will mitigate this with a 40mph speed limit, but in reality it’s inherently dangerous. Everybody who has seen it has said it’s so dangerous. But again, no one seems to want to take ownership of it and engage with us."
A new development in the story involves Barwood Land applying for planning permission to reconfigure access arrangements at the cottages on Sandy Lane, including adding two new driveways connecting to Sandy Lane.
If approved, this would provide new access and parking through the two new driveways and access points for the cottages.
The proposal also includes redirecting traffic from Sandy Lane onto the new Sandy Lane Relief Road (SLRR) once it opens. This would serve as a temporary link until the entire road is connected via the southern section, which has been confirmed for later this year.
Additionally, Sandy Lane would be closed to through traffic near the cottages, and the speed limit would be reduced from 60 mph to 30 mph.
This newspaper asked WNC if Barwood Land is the party responsible for the ‘unauthorised’ works and the subsequent delays.
A WNC spokeswoman said: “We are moving forward in resolving this issue, we do not see any positivity or reason to provide confirmation. The road is on track to be opened in June with the southern section later in the calendar year.”
Barwood Land has been contacted for comment.
A target decision date for Barwood Land’s application has been set for July 2. However, WNC recently said the northern part of the SLRR will open this month.
The man in charge of highways at WNC, councillor Phil Larratt, has recently been suspended from the Conservative Group while an investigation into rule-breaking is carried out.