Dozens attend meeting showing opposition to more than 1,000 new houses in Northamptonshire village
Around 200 people attended the latest meeting in a show of ‘solidarity’ against the prospect of 1,100 new houses being built in their village.
Residents of Earls Barton were joined by local councillors, leader of NNC Martin Griffiths and Daventry MP Stuart Andrew (Con) who were there to show their opposition to the proposals.
The meeting on Sunday (February 1) under the village sign in Northampton Road was an opportunity for people to distribute the first batch of larger signs to continue to show opposition to the prospect of 1,100 new houses in their community.
Organisers estimate that around 200 villagers attended, despite the rain, to show ‘a positive demonstration of solidarity.’
Adrian Gilbert, one of the organisers of the meeting, believes the resistance to the plans have been ‘a real team effort.’
He said: “The support for our campaign has been a real boost. It’s great to see signs popping up all over the village in addition to the 2,000 plus written objections that have been submitted to the council so far.
“The respective developers would contend that 1,100 new homes is a sustainable increase for Earls Barton, but the majority of residents would justifiably argue that the village infrastructure in terms of schooling, the road network, GP provision and the water/sewage systems simply cannot cope with developments of this scale.
"The character of the place, that so many of us are proud to call home, will be irrevocably changed if planning permission was to be granted.”
Residents have long expressed their frustration surrounding expansion in the village, which would come in the form of three separate housing developments from Richborough Estates, William Davis, and Redrow respectively.
The latter would be built on land south of Dowthorpe Hill, whereas each of the 250 from Richborough Estates and William Davis would be built alongside one another on land east of Northampton Road, just north of the A45.
As of today (February 4), two planning applications have been submitted for each of the 250 new houses, and a community consultation was launched for the further 600 new houses from Redrow, with a formal planning application expected in the coming months.
Adrian added: “Our community cannot be accused of NIMBYism when Earls Baton has already built 500 new homes, way more than the Neighbourhood Plan envisaged and this plan still has five years to run.
"North Northants Council can demonstrate at least a 4.6 years housing pipeline so there is absolutely no justification to lodge these applications on land outside of the Neighbourhood Plan.
"This is a village in a rural setting and residents have every right to object to these applications and the potential of 1,100 new homes, not to mention the prospect of a 900 acre solar farm, on their doorstep.”