Irthlingborough 105-home development that 'beggars belief' may be approved

The application to develop land off Nicholas Road includes special raised foundations to avoid flood risk and a new one-way system to help access down narrow roads
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Outline planning permission for a 105-home development on agricultural land off Nicholas Way, Irthlingborough, has been recommended for approval.

Members of East Northants Council's planning committee will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) and have been recommended to approve the plans if the developers promise to fulfil certain criteria .

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The application by Fermyn Woods Estate was resubmitted when committee members deferred the decision last year when they asked for the plans to be reviewed by an independent flooding expert as well as seeking assurances that the developer would pay for a one-way system for the roads leading to the site and build a fence around a noisy electricity substation.

The land off Nicholas Road earmarked for a 105-home development on grazing landThe land off Nicholas Road earmarked for a 105-home development on grazing land
The land off Nicholas Road earmarked for a 105-home development on grazing land

Nichola Joynes, who has been campaigning against the development and lives close to the site in Tannery Cottages, had collected a 2,600-signature petition against the proposal.

She said: "It beggars belief. Who is going to pay £400,000 for a house? Those people who are familiar with the area would never dream of building here because of the access and the flooding.

"They want to impose a one-way system on us without consulting the residents. Leading to the site is Hayway. It's downhill, on a blind bend and cars park down either side and on the pavement. Delivery drivers and taxis stop in the middle of the road because there's nowhere else to stop.

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"If you're coming up the hill you can't see because it's a blind turn. If you meet someone you have to reverse. I don't see how they think they'll get 200 extra cars up and down here.

Roads leading from High Street down to the site are often congested with cars parking either side of the narrow roadRoads leading from High Street down to the site are often congested with cars parking either side of the narrow road
Roads leading from High Street down to the site are often congested with cars parking either side of the narrow road

"We did our own traffic survey and found that 210 cars left the three streets Hayway, Spencer Street and Allen Road to turn into High Street at peak times.

"With another potential 210 vehicles from the extra 105 homes, that's 400 cars potentially in an hour turning into High Street. They want to put in smart traffic lights and that's not going to work. Traffic will back up."

The application for the former grazing land is the area of approximately ten football pitches with 30 per cent of the 105 homes 'affordable', part of a section 106 agreement.

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Further infrastructure improvements under section 106 are: £258,680 for early years education, £220,450 for primary schools, £233,435 for secondary schools, £84,261 for healthcare and £15,604 for libraries - a total £812,430 - new equipped play areas and the introduction of the new one-way system.

The site as seen from the airThe site as seen from the air
The site as seen from the air

Committee members had asked for additional expert opinion from a hydrologist to ensure measures taken by the developer were enough to plan for potential flooding with houses on parts of the site having to be built at a minimum 30cm above the Environment Agency's predicted flood levels.

The committee will be told that the Environment Agency, the Lead Local Flood Authority, Anglian Water and the independent hydrology consultant all agree that the impact of the development is acceptable in terms of flood risk.

Ms Joynes, who will speak at the meeting to voice her objections, said: "Normally, during the summer there are highland cattle grazing the land, but in the winter they are taken away because of the standing water.

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"There is run off from the town, which is on much higher ground, and the water rises up from the Nene.

The site outlined in redThe site outlined in red
The site outlined in red

"That flood zone has changed in the last 26 years I've lived here. The ground is too wet."

She added :"The roads around the area are not wide enough to allow construction traffic to access the site and the effect of the loss of residential parking of this magnitude would be catastrophic."

For the full application click here and click here for the agenda

The meeting of the planning management committee, which is open to the public, will be held in the Council Chamber, East Northamptonshire House, Cedar Drive, Thrapston, on Wednesday at 7pm.

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