Plans submitted for 'Rushden Gateway' as new development opposite Rushden Lakes hopes to bring ‘more vibrancy and vitality’ to the area
Undeveloped land opposite Rushden Lakes could be the new home of Rushden Gateway, a development which could see even more retail units opening near the A45.
Should the plans be approved the land directly opposite Rushden Lakes, comprising of more than 28 acres, would be turned into a complex including an Aldi, an EV charging facility, retail space and a drive-thru food outlet as well as parking facilities.
The land adjacent to Northampton Road and opposite Rushden Lakes is similar in size to the 11.5 hectares of land used for the development of Rushden Lakes, with 11.4 hectares being available for redevelopment for the Rushden Gateway.
Property developer Ashfield Land acquired the site in January 2016 and is now hoping to finally get the go-ahead on the project that could see an estimated 640 new full-time equivalent jobs made available across the entire project.
Planning documents state: “The constraints and parameters have been carefully considered and documented and the team has resolved all matters to ensure a committed delivery of the designed scheme.
“The completed scheme will deliver jobs for local employment, develop a site which is currently under-used and add more vibrancy and vitality to the area.
“The quality and character of the area will be enhanced by this proposal and all technical aspects of development have been fully considered and restored as outlined in the many reports accompanying this application.
"Rushden Gateway will have a mix of food and non-food retail as well as commercial buildings therefore is a different offer to Rushden Lakes, which is primarily a shopping and leisure destination.”
A public consultation was launched on Tuesday, November 5 and ran for three weeks until November 26, giving people the chance to give their thoughts on a proposal that could have significant ramifications on the local area. In total, 236 pieces of written feedback were submitted to the developer.
The majority of the feedback centered around the impact of traffic, with other responses mentioning the potential for anti-social behaviour, the overall impact on local biodiversity, and questioning the demand for another supermarket, with Lidl and Waitrose already in the area.
Conversely, many submissions praised the idea of an EV charging hub on site, and some noted that the land as it currently sits is of ‘low value to the community and had been under-utilised in recent years’, and were keen to see it put to use.
Plans for Rushden Gateway were initially submitted in 2018, and again in 2020, the latter of which was refused on the basis that the single vehicular point of access onto Northampton Road would mean delivery vehicles would have to reverse over the nearby pedestrian crossing.
The updated plans, which were submitted to North Northants Council (NNC) on December 16, include a new four-arm roundabout in Northampton Road which would be the primary means of entry for vehicles.
Cllr Dorothy Maxwell has long been a critic of the plans, especially with regards to the potential increase in traffic to a site which already sees a large amount of congestion at peak times.
She said: "The small roundabout will not take the traffic on Northampton Road. The site will cause unseen problems due to Rushden Lakes roundabout which is unbelievable busy all the time and clearly a massive issue, and noise is another issue and pollution from traffic.
“There is no way they can have an entrance from the A45, the roundabout is not suitable. The traffic coming up to the roundabout would be ridiculous.”
The transport assessment submitted alongside the application states there would be 20 fewer ‘vehicle movements’ at the Rushden Lakes roundabout during the morning rush hour than was projected with the 2018 proposal, and the PM peak would be around the same as the 2018 plans.
Ashfield Land says that with the full development would have a 1.1 per cent impact at Skew Bridge in the AM peak, 1.6 per cent impact in the PM peak, and a 2 per cent impact during a Saturday peak hour, therefore believes ‘the proposed development will not result in a severe impact on the safety or operation local and strategic highway network.’
A public art piece is also planned for the development to ‘create a landmark that acts as a signifier for road users’ as well as ‘a functional work of art that both celebrates Rushden and provides a new habitat to support biodiversity.’
Plans say that artists will be selected through an open competitive process based on an expression of interest on their creative approach and past experience.
During the public consultation, some suggested the art could take inspiration from local culture or history, including reference to Northamptonshire’s shoe trade, or famous local authors like H.E. Bates, who spent many of his early years in Higham Ferrers.
The full application and the supporting documents can be found here, or via the NNC planning portal by searching NE/24/01201/OUT.