Update from Towcester Public Meeting

We had a very well attended public meeting on the proposed developments in and around Towcester, with residents expressing many different concerns, ranging from traffic congestion to air quality, and from carbon emissions to the visual impact of any potential damage to the character of our beautiful historic area.

I confirmed that I have received hundreds of emails from constituents, each one rejecting the idea of allowing our lovely historic town to be surrounded by towering logistics sheds and the further congestion of our already clogged roads.

At the meeting we received an update from Cllr Jonathan Nunn, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council who explained that the local plan had taken effect and that therefore, any action by the planners will be considered within the terms of the agreed plan. He was very much aware of the concerns of the community.

We also received an update from Stuart Timmiss, Director of Highways at WNC, who was also very aware of the concerns of the community but again, he made the point that even though the narrative in the local plan sets out that any new development should be in keeping, nevertheless the actual legal terminology is what matters and that the council will not be able to reject developments that meet the terms of the local plan.

Turning to the relief road, Persimmon confirmed that they expecting to sign off on Roundabout 1 (A5) imminently and this would enable them to get the bulk of the relief road finished. The 3 roundabouts are already progressing well, and once Roundabout 1 is completed, work on Roundabout 5 (A43) would get underway. I made the point strongly that Persimmon had committed to delivering the relief road by spring 2023 and that the community would be holding them to account on delivery of the timescale. Paul Stones of Persimmon reiterated that helpful conversations with Ministers had confirmed that there would be traffic calming measures in Towcester when the Relief Road opens which will bring significant congestion relief to the town centre.

National Highways also provided an update, giving information on upgrades and improvements to the existing highways. They confirmed they will take a close watching brief over the proposed new developments and the impact on already congested roads in our area.

During the meeting I raised the question of whether partially reopening the local plan would be a feasible next step. Stuart Timmiss, Jonathan Nunn and Councillor Phil Larratt (Cabinet Member for Highways) agreed to take that away as an action point for consideration. Stuart Timmiss explained that it would require evidence to justify a reopening of the local plan. It was agreed by Jonathan Nunn, Phil Larratt and myself that there was significant evidence from the local community that the interpretations by developers of the local plan were entirely unexpected and not able to have been anticipated. Therefore it is a reasonable and rational action to partially reopen it and consider in greater detail the appropriate scale and impact on traffic, as well as the character of proposed new developments.

I will continue to update constituents on progress of the individual projects and the action points taken away by West Northamptonshire Council. As ever, please contact me on andrea.leadsom.mp@parliament.uk with any continuing concerns.