Comments on DHL application - November 2022

Hundreds of local people have written to me, sharing their concerns about DHL’s application for warehousing units in South Northamptonshire. As a local resident myself I share their concerns. A copy of my comments for the application can be read below. The deadline to submit your comments is the 16th November, and can be accessed here.

I write in my capacity as Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire in response to this application and on behalf of my constituents who have expressed their concerns about the proposals detailed within.

I have raised my concerns with the applicant and their consultants on several occasions, and also held a public meeting in December 2021, inviting this developer and others to meet with residents and answer their questions directly. The applicant did not attend the meeting.

My objections to this proposed development have been made clear on several occasions, and they remain consistent on a number of points:

Traffic: It comes as no surprise that Towcester has a busy and over-used road network. Its existing capacity is a real concern, and the threat of proposed new developments will only exacerbate problems. If this application goes ahead, the increase in HGVs and other vehicles will compound the unacceptable situation that road users are facing.

The traffic report supplied by DHL does not take into account the cumulative impact as required by the Strategic Planning Guidance. With other projects including the construction of the Towcester Relief Road, the SRFI at Northampton Gateway, improvements to the A5 and an increase in HS2 construction traffic, any additional traffic from this proposal will have a negative impact on traffic congestion and quality of life for my constituents.

At a previous meeting, DHL’s consultants confirmed that they believe that the Towcester Relief Road will be available to accommodate much of their generated traffic. I made it clear to them that this is not the purpose of the Towcester Relief Road – it is to divert traffic from the expansion of Towcester away from using the A5 Watling Street– not for developers such as DHL to facilitate a new warehousing development. As planners will be well aware, there are grave concerns that the Relief Road will prove insufficient to relieve Towcester from the existing high volumes of traffic, let alone for the vast increase in vans and lorries that would result from this application.

Employment: in their application, DHL propose that the development will generate 1572 jobs. The Employment Site Allocations Brief dated October 2022 does not adequately detail how the site will assist and boost employment in Towcester. This is a condition of the Local Plan and the Strategic Planning Guidance.

Towcester’s employment profile is made up of semi/professional skilled workers, and there is no warehousing employment requirement in the local area. A development of this type will therefore, if necessity, need to attract workers from outside the local area to Towcester, creating unsustainable further pressure on the road network.

Size of the building: Towcester is a historic market town with Roman origins and the proposed size of the building is totally inappropriate. The visual impact of large warehousing blocks would change the rural and historic surroundings of Towcester, giving it an industrial feel that is totally at odds with the current aspect.

Air quality: Towcester has an appalling record on air quality. The A5, particularly Watling Street, is constantly at a standstill with traffic. Residents have been advised by West Northamptonshire Council to keep their windows closed for their own health. Any further increase in HGV and other vehicular traffic will increase this problem.

Consultation process: many constituents have raised their concerns about the difficulty they had in participating in DHL’s consultation, with DHL requiring an appointment for residents to attend. For my own part, DHL did not facilitate a suitable appointment when the House of Commons duties would permit. Residents feel they have not had adequate time or access to resources as part of the consultation process, and I would also like to record that as the local MP, I am not listed on the portal as a direct consultee, despite previous communication with the applicant, their consultants and the local authority.

In conclusion, this development and any other of a similar size and scale would cause great harm to the beautiful surroundings of Towcester and bring no material benefits for my constituents. I will continue to support constituents in their strong objection to this and other insensitive applications.