Fears Kettering junction traffic will be 'unbearable' if drive-thru plan approved

Those surrounding the site of a planned Kettering drive-thru fear traffic will be ‘unbearable’ if the proposal is given the go-ahead.

Developers HB Pearce Contractors Ltd unveiled a bid to build the unit in Stanier Close earlier this year, although who could open there is yet to be confirmed.

They say it could create about 15 jobs and ‘improve customer choice’ at the Stanier Retail Park.

But a fast food chain, a council, a charity and a sports club are among those to voice concerns about the impact it could have on the already congested junction with Northfield Avenue.

One comment on the plan, lodged with North Northamptonshire Council, said: “The access to the premises on Stanier Park is already awful [and] adding another drive-thru will make it worse.

“Cars turning right out of Stanier Close by McDonald's cause backlogs, making it difficult to exit Stanier Park car parks, which in turn makes it difficult for cars to enter the car park for Dunelm and McDonald's.”

The proposed drive-thru would be next to the existing McDonald’s on the retail park – but the fast food chain restaurant’s manager has also raised concerns.

They said: “Currently the junction to get into Stanier Close is HEAVILY congested at peak periods, sometimes leading to complete to gridlock and chaos.

"My only concern is that with added traffic this will become unbearable…previously there has been talk of putting in a roundabout or traffic light system and that is at the current capacity – it really is that bad.”

Kettering Gymnastics Club, in nearby Brunel Close, said new businesses like this should be directed towards the town centre.

A Kettering Town Council response to the plan said: “There would be too much pressure put on the junction with Northfield Avenue by the extra traffic generated by the development.

"The town council feels that much more work is required to make the application acceptable.”

And charity Teamwork Trust, who have a base in Stanier Close, say that three of their staff members have had their cars written off due to traffic coming out of the retail park.

Their response said: “We believe that while a survey has been carried out, more needs to be done to manage the traffic situation if this restaurant were to be built, particularly for peak times as this would only exacerbate the current traffic problems and it makes access for our staff and service users using taxis an issue.”

A transport statement submitted as part of the plan said that Stanier Close is a private highway and that any queues would not impact on the wider highway network.

It added that there would be an estimated 328 trips to the unit between 10am and 5pm on a Saturday, but that between 30 and 40 per cent would be linked with an existing journey to the area.

A response to the traffic concerns by the applicant’s agents said: “It is acknowledged that queues do form in Stanier Close (which is a private highway) at peak times as set out in the transport statement, and that queues could increase with the opening of the proposed drive-thru facility. This is common at retail parks and on adopted highways throughout the UK at peak times.”