David beats Goliath as campaigners win fight against Kettering warehouse park plan

Campaigners say they are overjoyed after a winning a near four-year fight to save a popular Kettering green space from warehouses.

Today (January 8) planning inspector George Baird dismissed an appeal to develop land at Kettering North, near Weekley Hall Wood.

The Save Weekley Hall Wood (SWHW) group was set up when the plan was first lodged in 2020, aiming to win a battle dubbed ‘David and Goliath’ against applicants Buccleuch Property, the Duke of Buccleuch's development company.

And tonight they are celebrating after being told planning permission has been refused after an eight-day planning inquiry, which concluded last month.

Campaigner Frankie O’Dowd said: “We are delighted with the outcome of the inquiry. We want to thank the thousands of people who signed the petition about this development and who gave so generously of their time, energy and money to support us.”

Buccleuch wanted to build five warehouses and one general industry building in a development which, they said, would promise more than 2,000 jobs.

They originally earmarked more than 40,000 sq m of trees for the chop, before backing down and redesigning the scheme after a furious backlash. Campaigners were still not happy because the plan would have seen the loss of a meadow and popular walking routes.

The applicants appealed to the Planning Inspectorate because of North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) failure to make a decision, meaning whether to approve or reject the bid was taken out of the hands of locally-elected councillors.

The site had been allocated for employment use in the North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy – but Mr Baird said the absence of an agreed ‘essential’ masterplan for the site represented a ‘fundamental conflict’ with the all-important policy 36.

He said: "The proposal would result in moderate landscape harm and significant visual harm.”

Dozens had pleaded for Kettering’s treasure to be saved at the inquiry, with one saying nature there had saved his life. SWHW campaigners were represented by a barrister at the hearing after raising more than £30,000. More may still need to be raised if Buccleuch try to have the decision quashed by a High Court.

Robert Dixon, a legal adviser to the campaign group, said: “It is so heartening that the thousands of hours spent by everyone in the team, and by all of our supporters, fighting for this cause has resulted in such a clear-cut victory.

"We’ve won the battle but we still have to win the war.”

SWHW volunteers had said that the site is home to rare birds and butterflies, and is popular with local walkers and families. The inquiry had heard that some species were either ‘missed or under-recorded’ in an environmental statement.

Planning inspector Mr Baird said the development would dominate the northern part of the site and woodland, fundamentally and permanently changing the landscape character of this part of the site, resulting in a major adverse and significant effect.

He said: “The wealth of evidence both recorded and anecdotal confirms that the local community places a high value on the biodiversity value of the woodland and the meadow.

"Notwithstanding their lack of statutory designation, I consider, on the evidence before me, that the value of these Local Wildlife Sites (LWS), particularly the meadow, is significant."

He added that the the overall value of the site to the local and wider community, in nature conservation and recreational terms, would be materially diminished by the complete loss of the meadow.

Cllr Dez Dell (Green, Clover Hill) said: “I’m overjoyed by the result – I’ve been campaigning to save Weekley Hall Wood and meadow since March 2020. This result confirms what I have always known: that Kettering people love this wood and meadow.

"The way the community has worked together has been wonderful to see, and I feel privileged to have been a part of this campaign from the start. I am delighted that the planning inspector has agreed that preserving our environment is key.”

A spokesperson for the Buccleuch Group said: “We have today received notification that our planning application for Kettering Park has been refused following appeal.

"While we are disappointed that the project cannot proceed, bringing with it the associated employment and economic growth opportunities for the area, we will reflect on the comments made as we look to the future of the area.”