Planned 'detrimental' Kettering Energy Park - 'not in Kettering and not an energy park' says Burton Latimer Town Councillor opposed to development
Residents living in the shadow of a proposed development will be able to have their say at Burton Latimer Town Council (BLTC) meeting tomorrow evening.
Controversial Kettering Energy Park is on the agenda and councillors will be asked to back a call for North Northants Council (NNC) elected members to decide the fate of the plans and not leave the decision to officers.
Leading the call is Cllr Jenny Davies (LibDem), chairman of planning for BLTC, who says there would be a detrimental effect on Burton Latimer if the planning application is approved.
Usually such an item would be left until after the May 1 elections, but she says they are running out of time to object.
She said: “The Kettering Energy Park – which is not in Kettering and not an energy park – is a huge warehouse development and when the outline planning application first appeared on the NNC planning website, it was listed as ‘delegated’ which means officers can make the decision.
“Members of Burton Latimer Town Council believe that, in view of the detrimental effect the approval of the Kettering Energy Park application would have on Burton Latimer, the outline planning application should be considered in public by the full NNC Planning Committee.
"At planning committee level members of the public and BLTC members have the opportunity to express their concerns in public directly to the members of NNC planning committee and have them incorporated in the records relating to this proposal. This argument applies to all submissions related to the Kettering Energy Park."
The Burton Latimer Town Council meeting is at the Harold Mason Centre on Tuesday, April 29, starting at 6pm. People would wish to speak should contact [email protected].
A protest has been organised for Sunday, May 11 for locals to express their opposition to the plans.
Cllr Davies said: “If the decision level remains delegated and outline permission is given without public or member involvement, all matters included in the lengthy proposal paragraph could be deemed as approved and any attempt to prevent, for instance. the construction of 25-metre-high industrial buildings in a rural area would be doomed to failure.
"Many local people are totally opposed to the Kettering Energy Park. Objectors have been allowed only 24 days to object and this in the middle of council elections. I would not usually ask for such an item to be considered at this time in the local government cycle but as chair of BLTC planning committee, I felt that the circumstances made it urgent. I hope that members at the BLTC meeting will agree to the submission of an objection.”