‘Delight’ as A14 greenfield warehouse 161-acre development refused by North Northants councillors

Campaigners fighting the development of green fields on Nunnery Farm near Rothwell are celebrating the refusal of plans that would have seen a site the size of 75 football pitches bulldozed for warehousing.

North Northants Council planning committee had been asked to delegate powers to the executive director of place to permit the proposed development ‘subject to conditions and the completion of a Section 106 agreement’.

After a lengthy and robust debate, the members of the committee voted seven to four in favour of refusal of the recommendation.

Cllr Jim Hakewill (Ind), who is also chairman of Rothwell Against Warehousing (RAW), said: “I’m absolutely delighted. I’ve been so proud to work with a team on RAW who have been working to prepare a solid case. Nunnery Farm will remain as Nunnery Farm.”

Applicant Harworth Estates Investments Ltd claimed the switch from farmland to an industrial estate - ’a speculative development’ - could create 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs and bring in £238m to the local economy per year, including £109m in wages and £3.3m in business rates.

The Nunnery Farm site immediately off Junction 3 of the A14 is separated from Rothwell by the A6 and would have seen the landscape change dramatically from ‘rural to urban’.

Members of the planning committee had made a site visit ahead of the debate to see the landscape for themselves.

Planning officers admitted there would be an inevitable increase in traffic but pointed out National Highways had not objected to the site - despite locals pointing out the issues using the A14 around the Rothwell turns leading to and from Kettering.

Councillors on the committee raised doubts that the warehouses would be occupied, the jobs would go to local people and that the road networks would not be overwhelmed.

Questions were also raised about the need for more warehouses with a number still unoccupied across the area with Cllr Helen Howes (Cons) concerned that warehouses off the A45 near Wellingborough were still empty two-years after completion. She described the Rothwell warehouses as a ‘blot on the landscape’.

Cllr Lee Duffy, one of Reform councillors who voted to refuse the application, said he would be supporting Rothwell Town Council’s objection to the plans because they were ‘very important’ as they represented local people.

Grilled by councillors, staff representing Harworth said people did have ‘legitimate’ concerns regarding highways but they had been working on improved pedestrian access and transport impacts. They also couldn’t say how many jobs would be created locally but said residents would be ‘prioritised’.

After more than two and a half hours, councillors voted to oppose the plans. Four Reform councillors, Cllr Julie Howe, Cllr Jonathan Carvetta, Cllr Gordon Dunsmuir and Cllr Steve Clark, did not vote against.

The committee then voted unanimously on the reasons for the objection on the grounds of visual impact and harm to the landscape.

A spokesman for RAW added: “This is not the end though. RAW will now prepare for a possible appeal from the developer Harworth.

“RAW will now be looking at initiatives to raise monies to help towards the appeal costs.”