Residents urged 'have your say' on huge Rothwell warehouse development as plans submitted to NNC
Residents have been urged to have their say on a planning application that could see a huge warehouse development swallowing up 160 acres of rolling fields near Rothwell.
The application – NK/2024/0717 for the construction of logistics hub buildings, including site access and infrastructure – has been submitted to North Northants Council with the neighbour consultation expiry date of Saturday, August 22, 2026.
Applicant Harworth Estates Investments Ltd claims the switch from farmland to an industrial estate will create 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs and bring in £238m to the local economy per year.
The site, located at Nunnery Farm, would see up to eight units on a 1.8 million sq ft on the area of green fields immediately off Junction 3 of the A14 and separated from Rothwell by the A6.
Encouraging the public to have their say on the plans, Cllr Chris Kellett (Reform/Rothwell and Mawsley) said: “The planning application for warehousing at Nunnery Farm, Rothwell is now out for consultation. I would encourage everyone with an interest in the proposal to have their say before the consultation closes.
“I am already looking closely at the application. If there are sound planning reasons to object then I will object. That is exactly what the planning process is there for.
“My biggest concern is not that developers submit planning applications, they have every right to do that, my concern is that local councils no longer have enough power to decide what is right for their own communities.
“Too many decisions are now being driven by national planning policy."
Residents have already been active in opposing the plans, voicing ‘massive concerns’ over the traffic at Junction 3 and the number of HGV movements that would be generated.
If approved, the development would be a third the size of Rothwell.
So far, of the 758 comments received, more than 90 per cent object with 16 in support – as previous representations will be considered, residents who have already commented on the plans do not need to submit another.
Rothwell Town Council will host a public open meeting at 7.30pm on Tuesday, August 18, in Rothwell Methodist Church to discuss the Harworth Nunnery Farm development.
Harworth Group says it has a clear vision for the site at Rothwell, with their plans providing an opportunity to deliver approximately 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs, catering to a range of skill levels and meeting market demand with their website boasting the plans also include ‘a commitment to enhance biodiversity and investment in local infrastructure, including roads’.
It is believed the developers have already spent £8m on obtaining the site and pushing forward the plans.
Cllr Kellett added: “Even where local councillors and residents have genuine planning concerns, the law often leaves very little room for local judgement. If a council refuses too many applications, it can face costly appeals or even planning powers altogether.
“That is not how local democracy should work. People who live here know their communities best. If residents what to see more decisions made locally, I would encourage everyone raise that with their MP. It is parliament that sets the planning rules. If those rules are to change, that is where the change must come from.”
Find planning application number NK/2024/0717 at North Northants Council’s website