More than 60 residents OBJECT to 'utterly ridiculous' plans to build nearly 100 homes off busy Northampton road

In October, Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd and Vistry Group submitted plans to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) for an 84-home housing estate off Harlestone Road in Duston.

The three-hectare site is currently made up of an existing motor sales garage (M&A Motors), a hand car wash, and a former car repair warehouse at the rear.

The £20 million development would include one- and two-bedroom maisonettes and apartments, as well as two- to four-bedroom homes, according to Vistry.

In September, Andy Reynolds, managing director of Vistry South East Midlands, said: “We are thrilled to have secured the land to build these much-needed family homes, demonstrating our commitment to planning high-quality communities that meet the diverse housing needs of individual areas.”

However, there have been a total of 66 objections to the plans, with many raising similar concerns: hundreds of homes are being built in the Duston area, but the infrastructure is not being upgraded to accommodate them.

One objector said: “Duston is becoming a town in its own right with the amount of development taking place along Sandy Lane and next to Harlestone Firs. It is starting to encroach on other villages such as Harpole and Harlestone, as well as destroying our countryside. However, no other infrastructure is being built to support those who already live here or those who will be moving into these new properties. The local secondary school is full to bursting, there are no NHS dentists in the locality, and the doctors' surgery already has far more patients than it can deal with. Before this brownfield site is used to shoehorn further people into the parish, other options for the site must be considered.”

Another added: “Too many new houses are being built in the area, and no new infrastructure is being provided. The roads can’t cope with the traffic, and roadworks are all over Duston. No new schools or doctors' surgeries are being built, and no NHS dentists are being provided locally. How will the area cope with the influx of more people? Other services need to be provided for the existing residents of Duston before more homes are built. Traffic in the area is already high. The junction down from where the building is to take place has already had many accidents, and nothing has been done to rectify this. Adding to this is just wrong.”

Another said: “Absolutely shocked. This is already a busy and dangerous stretch of road. The infrastructure in Duston cannot cope as it is with the thousands of new houses being built in the surrounding areas over the years across different estates. New schools are needed, GP practices, a hospital, etc. Is it assumed that the 80 families moving into these new homes will enlist at St Luke's Surgery? An already massively oversubscribed practice where nobody can get an appointment as it is. It’s utterly ridiculous that this is even being considered, as with most other development plans in Duston.”

Another said: “I have grave concerns about the increasingly poor infrastructure in the Duston area. There are in excess of 9,000 houses already being built, which will increase the local population by approximately 30,000. The roads, schools, medical facilities, etc., are just unable to cope with the current numbers. Once infrastructure can be increased, further applications can be considered.”

Duston Parish Council has also voiced concerns regarding the proposal.

The developers are set to hold a public consultation next Tuesday (March 11). A target decision date has been set for March 28.

Vistry previously said it anticipates construction to begin in 2025.