Castle Manor Farm
As I am now sure most of you will be aware the appeal by Newlands Developments in relation to the mega warehouse development on the Castle Manor Farm site has been upheld by the Planning Inspectorate and planning permission granted.
(Appeal ref:APP/M2840/W/25/3362393)
The full reasons give by the Planning Inspector are documented in out in his 69-page Decision Notice that can be accessed either via the North Northants Council planning portal or on the STAUNCH website.
What is clear from the Inspector’s decision is that there were two key factors that were instrumental in his decision process. The first is the current drive by government to boost economic growth at all cost. Secondly, the failure of our unitary authority to produce the expert evidence necessary to rebut the claims of the developers.
Throughout the process, STAUNCH has worked tirelessly to represent the communities of Thrapston, Titchmarsh and wider Upper Nene Valley and believe we presented the best possible case we could. None of which we could have undertaken without your full support.
Our only redress is via a judicial review to the High Court. However, this route can only be taken if we are able to find any failures by the Inspector on points of law. A detailed review of the decision is currently underway by our barrister. There is a time limitation to commencing a High Court action, which in this case is 3rd December.
Glebe Land
The Castle Manor Farm decision clearly poses the question as to where we now stand in respect of the potential judicial review relating to the IM Properties development of the Glebe Land.
A few weeks ago, a draft s106 agreement, relating to the planning approval, was published by North Northants Council. A s106 agreement is a legally binding contract between a developer and a local planning authority and a local planning authority that allows a development to go ahead by requiring the developer to adhere to specific planning requirements.
STAUNCH has now submitted a formal response and again all these documents can be accessed on the Council planning portal. One of our key demands is that the application should referred back to the Planning Committee as it clear they were not in possession of all relevant information when making the original decision.
As mentioned in the last addition of the Titchmarsh Times, STAUNCH have already put the council on notice of a potential judicial review against the original decision to approve the application. We still reserve this right but cannot take any further action until such time as the council issues a formal decision notice.
We will of course update you as soon as we can.
Other News
North Northants Council planning department has demonstrated, on numerous occasions with these applications that they are unfit for purpose. However, this is not a position unique to our area. Lack of professional in house resources and inadequate funding meaning that the local authorities across the country are unable process cases adequately or indeed defend appeals when up against developers with deep pockets.
At the beginning of November, I met with our local MP Lee Barron at the House of Commons to discuss how at a national level the government can look to ensure that there is a greater balance of funding and resources between planning authorities, communities, and developers. STAUNCH will continue to liaise with other local campaign groups to see how best to use the horrendous experiences of communities in the Upper Nene Valley and wider North Northants to drive national reform of the planning system.
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Kevin Shapland
Chair
STAUNCH