Retrospective planning application for West Northamptonshire house built bigger than allowed rejected by councillors

West Northamptonshire councillors went against an officer's recommendation by rejecting a retrospective application to address a house built bigger than its planning permission.

West Northamptonshire Council's Daventry area planning committee turned down the plans for the rural house between East Haddon and Holdenby during a meeting last night (Wednesday, June 9).

Plot 1 Tythe Farm was built around 200-sq-m larger than the 2018 permission set out so the owners had applied to regularise the property on Holdenby Road.

In total, 33 residents, as well as East Haddon and Ravensthorpe parish councils, objected to the application, citing complaints about it setting a precedent for allowing developers to build outside of the planning permission.

However a planning officer recommended the committee to approve the application as the changes 'would not have significantly more impact on the character and appearance of the site, surrounding rural area and Special Landscape Area, and public rights of ways'.

Yet members decided to go against that and declined the scheme in a success for the neighbours - it is unclear what will happen now.

Councillors also approved a plan to build 140 homes on land outside Daventry occupied by Drayton Lodge Farm between the A425, the A45 Steffen Way and the old Staverton Road.

The 4.5-hectare site is allocated for housing as part of the already-approved Daventry SW sustainable urban extension, consisting of 1,100 properties in total.

Daventry Town Council and Staverton Parish Council opposed the scheme despite three revisions over the lack of off-road parking spaces and the design of the play area.