Andrea Leadsom Writes to National Highways and WNC on DHL Planning Application

I have written today to WNC and National Highways to stress in the strongest possible terms my concern about National Highways dropping their objection to the DHL Planning Application in Towcester.

I have requested an urgent meeting with the key officers and will be attending the planning meeting when this application is considered, to stress how damaging this proposed warehousing site would be for Towcester .

Full text below:

It has come to my attention that National Highways are no longer objecting to the DHL planning application on the edge of Towcester, subject to a few minor conditions.

I am challenging this decision in the strongest possible terms on the grounds that the officer responsible for approving the decision has only been in the role since February and will be going on annual leave from 28th March to 16th April, before departing on 1st May. Therefore, there is understandable concern that this officer was not knowledgeable and is not accountable for this disastrous decision for Towcester.

In the final paragraph of their Planning Response (NHPR 21-09), National Highways state:

"We note that there is a potential for future cumulative impacts of [the] totality of ‘AL’ allocated sites at the end of the local plan period to have a severe cumulative impact which would adversely affect the operation of the Tove roundabout.

"We would concur with the Council that it would be preferable to have a strategic mitigation to support all the ‘AL’ sites and consider that in order to progress this approach, it is necessary to ensure that a jointly agreed approach between our authorities is adopted through policy."

This raises a number of questions:

1. Does the preference for unspecified strategic mitigation mean anything in planning terms? The preference for this strategic mitigation appears a weak statement and I would appreciate your view on whether this should be determined prior to any decision by the Strategic Planning Committee.

2. National Highways state that a joint approach must be adopted through policy between WNC and yourselves. Does this mean that the strategic mitigation parameters would be negotiated prior to any further consideration?

3. You will recall that during summer last year, National Highways put a hold on all AL applications pending a review of the cumulative traffic impact. What was the result of this review, and has it been made public?

4. I appreciate that the Towcester Relief Road is still awaiting technical design approval for the A43 roundabout, and will be unlikely to open until 2025. This vital new link in our local road network would not be operational by the time the DHL warehousing would come into use - traffic and air quality must surely be significant factors in any consideration.

I would appreciate an urgent meeting with you to discuss this, and I have also written to Anna Earnshaw, Cllr Phil Larratt and Stuart Timmiss at West Northamptonshire Council in similar terms.