Council says it's 'not appropriate' to issue 'stop notice' at rural spot in East Northamptonshire as work continues on site

Locals have been concerned for the past two weeks about work taking place on the field close to the busy Warmington roundabout.

A gate has been widened and the field flattened, and villagers say they believe that is being prepared to become a traveller site. The new owner – himself a traveller site resident– says he simply wants to use it as a horse paddock and does not need any planning permission to do so.

Now locals say they are considering a judicial review, should the council maintain its stance that enforcement action is not yet necessary at the field.

Following a site visit last weekend, MP Lee Barron wrote to North Northamptonshire Council leader Cllr Martin Griffiths on Friday (March 20) to ask them why he had received no response to a letter he sent expressing concern over the works. His letter urged the council to issue a ‘stop notice’, a planning mechanism that would make further work on the site illegal.

His letter said: “My visit (to the site) confirmed the serious concerns of constituents who are growing increasingly frustrated and angry about the apparent lack of action by North Northamptonshire Council while, I am told, work continues on the site.”

One nearby resident said the community was ‘exasperated’.

He said: “There is a huge swell of anger and frustration amongst the local villages in the area at the apparent inaction of the council. I know that many people have written to them, as well as several businesses near the site who are very concerned about it, and haven’t received a response.

"The local councillors who are trying to prompt action seem just as frustrated.

"Everyone in the surrounding area is furious at their refusal to act, when the evidence of development and its purpose is quite plain.”

On Friday afternoon, the authority issued a notice to residents, and to this newspaper, which explained their stance.

It said that they had noted the new gates, posts and rail fencing during site visits, but said that these items fall under ‘permitted development,’ which means ‘no fresh planning application is required and enforcement action would not be appropriate or justified at this stage.”

The notice continued: "We will continue to monitor the site through site visits. If there is unauthorised development we will assess whether this justified enforcement action.

"If that is the case, we stand ready to issue a temporary stop notice to enable assessment of the development.”

Tansor residents say are they particularly concerned about the dangers of vehicles pulling out onto such a busy road junction. There have been a number of serious accidents at, or close to, that junction in the past few years.

One, who did not wish to be named, told our reporter: “This is dangerous, not just for vehicles pulling in and out of the site, but also for any children who might be on the site running out into the road where there is no safe pavement.

"It seems to residents and local business people (who by the way have just received a five per cent increase in their council tax bills) that the council are playing cricket whilst the other side have broken the bats and dug up the pitch!”

Meanwhile a highways consultant has been employed by locals to give his opinion to the council. In a report from the expert, seen by the Northants Telegraph, he says that the landowner would have required a license from the highways authority (NCC) to carry out the gate works. He also raises serious concerns over mud and dirt that has been left on the carriageway at the busy junction. He says: “Breaking on a loose, muddy surface like this can result in vehicles skidding which, having regard to traffic speeds on this stretch of road, is likely to result in serious or fatal injury to drivers.”

He also said that he had worries over the safety of road users using the turning, and said that the highways authority had powers to intervene should it deem it necessary to do so.

All the nearby parish councils have been in communication with the authority and ward councillors continue to make representations on behalf of local people.