Northampton: Plan for 18 warehouses in open countryside dismissed

The application sought to build 18 warehouses on fields next to the Brackmills Industrial Estate

Plans for a 24,000 square-metre industrial zone in open countryside will not go ahead, after an appeal brought by developers was dismissed.

The developers sought permission to build 18 warehouses on fields next to the Brackmills Industrial Estate, in between Northampton and Great Houghton.

West Northamptonshire Council Planning Committee rejected the application in December 2022.

The Planning Inspectorate upheld the refusal after the developers appealed.

The government agency said it would be an "intrusion" into the open countryside, and the "large bulky buildings" would harm the views from the towns, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Original designs for the employment land proposed two blocks of smaller-sized units, a pair of semi-detached units, and five larger stand-alone warehouses, each with its own service yards and parking.

The buildings were to be used for general industry, storage and distribution warehouses and offices.

'Interrupt the views'

The Planning Inspectorate took issue with the location of the site, and stated that it would close the gap of empty fields between the built-up area of Northampton and Great Houghton village, which it saw as a "distinctive" feature of the area.

It reported that the development would impact the Great Houghton conservation area and "interrupt the views" of the current rural setting.

The industrial land would have supported an estimated 279 full-time equivalent jobs and the Planning Inspectorate noted the "substantial benefits" it would have brought for the employment land and the economy.

The report added that the council was on target to deliver its jobs requirements by 2029. The appeal was dismissed.