Plans for 23 apartments in Northampton town centre recommended for approval

The site, on Castilian Street in the Derngate Conservation Area, had originally been earmarked for 95 apartments with a mix of one-bedroom apartments and studios, and included the demolition of 2 Castilian Street and 41 Derngate.

But following concerns from officers over the scale of the six-storey building, a new amended design retains 2 Castilian Street to be used as a pair of townhouses, while the site will also have six further townhouses and a four-storey building offering 23 apartments.

Planning officers have deemed the new designs acceptable, and have recommended that councillors on Northampton Borough Council’s planning committee approve them when it meets at The Guildhall next Tuesday (March 17) at 5pm.

Officers state in their report: “The proposal would complement the mix of uses within the town centre and contribute towards the council’s five-year housing supply.

"The amended design and appearance are considered an appropriate and sympathetic contrast to the surrounding heritage assets and the context of the Derngate Conservation Area, with any harm considered less than substantial and outweighed by the public benefit of the provision of housing and bringing this underused and unattractive site back into use.”

Thirty objections were received from neighbours about the original design, with a further six being submitted in respect of the amended design.

Concerns raised in those objections include the homes still being ‘out of keeping’ with the area, inadequate on-site parking and the impact of noise and disturbance during the construction phase. Worries have also been raised about ‘a lack of space’ to store building materials and machinery during construction.

But council officers state in their report: “On balance, it is considered that the site would not lead to any unacceptable impact on existing or proposed residential amenity and is therefore considered acceptable in this regard.”

Members of the committee ultimately have the final decision on whether to approve the application.