Plans for large warehousing development next to the A14 near Thrapston will go to appeal

A 10-day inquiry has been scheduled over applicant Equites Newlands (Thrapston East) LTD’s proposals for a 50,000 sqm warehouse and outline plans for a larger storage and distribution zone in the Northamptonshire countryside.

According to planning documents, DHL has been named as the lead occupier for the first unit, with detailed plans for the other warehouses to follow.

The proposals would see units built on approximately 60 hectares of farmland known as Castle Manor Farm, next to the A14, near Thrapston and Titchmarsh.

The site borders the Haldens Parkway industrial estate on the eastern edge of Thrapston and would be accessed via a new roundabout at the junction of Huntingdon Road and Islington Lane.

North Northants Council (NNC) validated the application more than three years ago in February 2022.

An expiry date, which refers to the timeframe within which a local planning authority is required to make a decision, of December 2024 was noted on the plans however NNC has not issued one.

The government’s Planning Inspectorate will now take over from NNC and assess the plans in full.

It has appointed Dr R Catchpole as the lead on the inquiry.

If approved at appeal, all buildings would be restricted to a maximum height of 24m and a maximum size of 200,000 sqm across all units.

It has been suggested that another three warehouses would make up the rest of the plots, but the precise layout of the wider site is not fixed at this stage.

Campaign group Staunch (Save Titchmarsh and Upper Nene Countryside and Habitats) has maintained its strong objections to the site throughout.

It says the plans would have major damaging impacts on highways and the natural environment and states that more storage and distribution units are not needed locally.

An online petition started by Staunch calling to save the Upper Nene Valley countryside from ‘massive industrialisation’ has received more than 4,000 signatures.

According to NNC’s website, more than 760 members of the public objected to the plans and just three letters were received in support.

A number of nearby parish councils have also submitted their objections to the plans.

Developer Newlands said in its planning statement that the application is in ‘direct response to very strong market demand for additional employment sites and premises in the area’, particularly along the A14 corridor.

It has estimated that the site would create around 2,700 jobs in ‘new, high-quality employment facilities’.

According to appeal documents, all comments from interested parties are due on May 16.

The hearing is scheduled to begin on July 8 and last for approximately two weeks.

An NNC spokesman said that it would be writing to affected residents to highlight that an appeal has been lodged, set out the relevant timeframes and advise on how people can engage with the process.