Concerns raised by residents as plans submitted for up to 86 new houses in Raunds

Plans have been submitted for up to 86 new dwellings in Raunds, sparking comments from the public that have raised concerns with the proposal.

The proposed development is to build a new estate off Brick Hill Road, as well as an attenuation basin to help control flooding in the area, as highlighted in the application submitted to North Northants Council.

One commenter said: “I am strongly against this proposal for numerous reasons.

“I moved here as I used to be able to see fields and horses out my window, now all I can see are other houses and their windows. This isn't why I moved away from London.

"The support services need to be greatly improved (doctors, dentists, schools, vets) before anything new should be built, if at all. Where is all the green land going?”

The proposal seeks to provide new houses consisting of two, three, four, and five bedrooms, with 27 being ‘affordable’ intended for rent or shared ownership on ‘a relatively small section of agricultural land on the northern edge of Raunds.’

As outlined in a planning document, the development has three overarching objectives.

It hopes to build a ‘strong, responsive and competitive economy, by ensuring that sufficient land of the right types is available in the right places and at the right time to support growth, as well as ‘support strong, vibrant and healthy communities, by ensuring that a sufficient number and range of homes can be provided to meet the needs of present and future generations.’

It also aims to ‘contribute to protecting and enhancing our natural, built and historic environment.’

The application adds: “The land immediately adjoins major residential development to the west and should planning permission be granted will immediately abut employment development to the east. It would therefore represent a logical infill to the northern edge of the Raunds settlement.”

However, multiple comments on the planning application raise concerns for the provision of key services like schools and nearby health centres, and the dwindling number of green spaces in the area.

One commenter added: “I oppose this new development because Raunds is already struggling with all the new development on Brick Kiln Road.

"The local schools and doctor surgeries are already at capacity. You cannot get a doctors appointment and places in the schools are not available.

"Brick Kiln Road is already extremely busy with no street lighting and poor footpaths.

"The impact on the wildlife has already been affected because of the farm land turned over to concrete.

"The road infrastructure is terrible and Brick Kiln Road is already used like a race track, there is no indication of any traffic calming measures being put in place for the additional traffic this will create.”

Traffic was a common theme among commenters, as another person said: “Brick Kiln Road is a dark, mostly unlit, and heavy trafficked road leading out of town. Adding further traffic to this is dangerous, particularly for pedestrians in darker months.”

However, a passage from the transport assessment notes: “Three collisions were recorded in the most recent five-year period along the extent of Brick Kiln Road all resulting in slight injuries. It is considered three sporadic collisions along the extent of a road within a five-year period does not constitute a highway safety issue.”

Four collisions were recorded in the same time frame at, and on approach to, the Brick Kiln Road, London Road, Warth Park Way roundabout, three of which resulting in slight injury, and one resulting in serious injury, which is also ‘not considered a safety issue.’

View the full application here.