IMPORTANT UPDATE ON THE FURTHO PIT DEVELOPMENT - ACTION NEEDED
Cosgrove Parish Council has heard from the WNC Planning Department that they hope to bring the application to a meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) towards the end of April. This application is likely to be decided in a separate meeting from their scheduled ones, and the exact date is still to be confirmed. Before their meeting some Councillors will make a site visit.
We will update you as soon as we know an exact date, but until then are assuming the application will be decided some time towards the end of April.
WHAT YOU CAN DO….
- WRITE TO WNC PLANNING
- The deadline for comments has now been updated to 3rd April. Whether or not you have objected to this already, now is the time to do so again. There have been several changes and new documents submitted to the application throughout the past year, some of which may supersede your previous comments, so check and update if necessary - this is the last chance to let WNC know that your opposition to this is still strong. Please read through the information on our website, which will help inform you of how this application may affect you, what may have changed, and how you can send in your comments to the council. You don’t have to live in West Northants to comment. And although comments will be considered up to the date of the SPC meeting, it is better to submit them by the new deadline of 3rd April. More info on objecting can be found here:
- PREPARE TO TURN UP & SHOW YOUR OPPOSITION - Try to attend the SPC meeting (or come along to the Councillors’ site visit). Or just come along before the meeting to help demonstrate the strength of opposition to the development at The Forum in Towcester. The more people showing their opposition in person, the stronger the message this sends to the SPC Councillors that this is the wrong development in the wrong place.
- FEED BACK ON THE NEW LOCAL PLAN - The deadline for the Consultation for the New Local Plan is March 27th. Local Plan policies shape planning decisions for the next 15–20 years. There are many aspects to the Local Plan which may be of interest to you, but for the purpose of our campaign, we are only highlighting policy relating to Furtho Pit. Although this application will be decided before this plan is adopted, the new plan will carry more weight as we get closer to the adoption date next year, which could be more relevant if this application is refused by the SPC and goes to appeal in a few months. There are many aspects to the Local Plan which could affect what can and cannot happen at Furtho Pit, details of which can be found here:
Thank you to all of those who have supported this campaign so far. We will keep you updated on the latest via this website, our Mailing List, Facebook page and Instagram.
“Quite extraordinarily incongruous to its location and threatens significant impacts on the landscape”
Environmental Consultant
Dominic Woodfield CEcol, CEnv, MCIEEM
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Or you can email to planning@westnorthants.gov.uk
or write to: Planning Department, West Northampton Council, The Guildhall, St Giles Square, Northampton, NN1 1DE
Always include the Planning Reference Number WNS/2022/1741/EIA
The Wrong Development in the Wrong Place
A group of concerned residents have got together to oppose the planned warehouse development at the A5/A508 roundabout between Cosgrove and Old Stratford. The proposal is for a 750,000 plus sq ft development of 9 warehouses, 5 storeys high. The land was earmarked, several years ago, for development as a light industrial zone offering employment and in keeping with the local area. Our view is the development meets none of the above criteria.
This massive development and related infrastructure will negatively impact on traffic using the A5, the A508 and the A422. It will cause air, light, noise and environmental pollution and destroy land inhabited by protected species. It shows no concern for people who live within a five mile radius and who will be most impacted by the development.
We chose the name
Stop3000Trucks for our campaign based on the developer’s original plan for 96 docking bays x 1-2 movements per hour x 24 hours (a truck can comfortably be unloaded in 30 minutes. Faster if it’s automated). So 3000 was a conservative estimate of the site's potential.
In the previous lot of plans dated 15th August 2023, the number of bays was reduced from 96 to 59. This works out to potentially 2800 trucks per day. This number could easily be revised upwards as there is no WNC requirement to limit the number of bays, or the number of truck movements, or the hours in which they operate! In addition, automated unloading is becoming the norm in warehouses across Northants and nationally. This means a lorry can be unloaded in 7 minutes rather than the standard 25 minutes.
In the latest planning documents dated February 2025, the number of loading bays is obscured. We maintain that there are 78 bays unless they provide clarification. Until the unit is sold, the exact number will remain unknown.
We need your help to stop the A5/A508 junction Warehouse Development leading to massive traffic issues in an already congested area.
Have Your Say
You can use the red button above (and on every page of this site) to go straight to the WNC comments site. You will need to register, which will take 30 seconds. You can then use any of the objections listed on the link below, or add your own reasons. We would encourage you to use your own words wherever possible.
“Our vision is to make West Northants…..a place where we have modern towns but where rural character is cherished”
West Northants Council Vision Statement
