Residents near controversial 2.5-mile Kettering Energy Park urged to have their say on environmental impact

Kettering Energy Park would cover the area of 550 football pitches on land between Burton Latimer, Finedon, Great Addington and Cranford.

Stretching across farmland – bounded by the A14 in the north, the A6 to the west and the A510 Thrapston Road – the vast industrial complex would fill in across Burton Wold.

Included in the development by First Renewable Developments Ltd, near the existing wind turbines, would be warehouses, a solar farm, battery storage, and other infrastructure possibly for hydrogen generation, hydroponic agriculture, business units, data centres as well as a café and nursery.

Residents are being asked for their views as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) used to determine if a project requires a formal Environmental Statement under ⁠EIA Regulations.

Kevin Binley from local campaign group Landscape Not Warehouses said: “The new public consultation on the warehouse and industrial estate at Burton Wold, the so called ‘Kettering Energy Park’ has been announced with a notice in the Northants Telegraph that few will see and even fewer understand.

“It mentions towards the end of the notice that ‘further information is available in relation to a environmental statement’.

“To members of the public the wording suggests the submission of technical environmental evidence.

“It does not indicate that actually members of the public are now being asked to review substantial revisions to the application itself, including a revised master plan, revised ecological mitigation, a new biodiversity net gain assessment, revised layouts plans, revised landscape proposals, revised transport plans and revised habitat strategies.”

Estimated to be a £500m investment, as part of the planning process developer First Renewable Developments Ltd had to submit new documents (ref NK/2025/0167) – and residents have until Saturday, July 25, to make their representations to NNC.

This follows the submission of additional information to NNC, including an Environmental Statement Addendum, on June 9, that responds to a request for further information.

Further information has also been prepared regarding the framework travel plan, and a revisions made to the parameters plan.

Inconsistences identified include the correction of proposed maximum gross internal area for the advanced agriculture zone, which should have been 130,000 sq m rather than 13,000 sq m. Errors were also made in the stated areas for the proposed development zones.

Among the 700 pages of documents, calculations of traffic flows have been assessed through computer modelling using analysis of data from the A14 slip roads from Junction 7 to 11 to the proposed site looking to traffic flows in 2031.

The traffic assessment concludes that for all the assessed junctions, ‘the development flows do not have a material impact on the capacity requirements in comparison to the future base flows’.

“This is consistent with the findings of the agreed Vissim modelling (multimodal traffic simulation software used for understanding the existing traffic patterns and driving behaviours).

“Therefore, no alterations are required at the junctions along the A14 as a result of the proposals at Kettering Energy Park.”

To help residents put their views across Landscape Not Warehouses has created an ‘Objectinator’ website – complete with superhero figure – to help residents navigate the representation process.

The notice, signed by George Candler, NNC’s executive director, place and economy, states: “The information relating to this application is available to view on the council’s website. Copies of the environmental statement/additional information can be obtained from HGH Consulting 45 Welbeck Street, London, W1G 8DZ.

“Anyone who wishes to make representation should, within 30 days of this notice, make them through public access at https://publicaccess.northnorthants.gov.uk/online-applications/, send them by post to North Northamptonshire Council, Development Management Services, Cedar Drive, Thrapston, NN14 4LZ or email them to [email protected]. Comments to be made by July 25, 2026.”