ISHAM PARISH COUNCIL

Clerk: Mrs A McLaven

6 Wellingborough Road

Isham

Northants

NN14 1HR

Email:

Phone: 01536 722640

03 October 2018

Dear Sir,

Re: North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy.

We wish to submit our strongest possible objection to the proposals relating to the development of the area south of junction 9 of the A14 adjacent to the A509.

We and the residents of Isham became aware quite by accident and belatedly of these proposals and of how we are likely to be affected by them. This has caused considerable concern together with some outrage locally at what is being proposed and particularly because people feel that they have not been involved, not properly consulted and have had no voice in the process to express their views.

Our opinion is that the proposal for this area to be a distribution/warehousing complex is wholly out of character and unsuitable for the site for the following reasons:-

  1. It is well known that the amount of traffic currently passing through Isham is of incredibly high volumes and enormously disruptive to our Parishioners. (Recent traffic count was over 25,000 in a day.) There is no doubt that any development in the area will attract further traffic through Isham making the situation untenable. In the event that the development does proceed in whatever form it is imperative that it is not constructed until a bypass of Isham is in place with suitable safe access and egress onto the bypass from and to the village and more than one access/exit onto the site as a single access would be totally inadequate.
  2. With other developments in our area, because of the numbers of people employed by them,this has resulted in rat runs and previously quiet locations are finding that their environments have been severely and badly affected.
  3. There will be an adverse visual impact on the surrounding residential area, the lie of the land is such that this is a very visible area from anywhere but from the North and because the land slopes down to the brook which runs along the Eastern edge of this potential development it would be impossible to visually reduce the impact of it.
  4. A large area of this site is within a flood plain and does regularly flood as was evidenced earlier this year when the A509 was closed. Construction of this development is most likely to move the problem further along the valley particularly to those lower-lying areas of Isham village and surrounding land.
  5. We are very concerned about the potential for light pollution previous developments at Burton Latimer illuminate the sky during the evening and night and this development has the potential of worsening the present situation. It is also noted that this situation has not been properly addressed at the large development recently constructed to the West of Thrapston adjacent to the A14 and has caused considerable complaint from residents in that area.
  6. We also have concerns over the potential noise and smell resultant from the likely 24 hour usage of the site by the hundreds of visits each day and night by heavy road vehicles.
  7. Can a need for this development be demonstrated? We are aware that other developments on the periphery of the Boroughs of Kettering and Wellingborough have not yet been developed out because the need is not there.
  8. We are aware from local employment agencies that employers for those units which have already been constructed along the A14 in this area are struggling to recruit staffas there insufficient people available for work and we are informed that parcel B alone would require a workforce of 3,000 people. We understand that most staff whomare currently employed in these types of units are European migrant workers and their availability is questionable with the up and coming EU referendum.
  9. We have concerns about the effects on the surrounding Listed Buildings that are affected by this proposal.
  10. There is a considerable amount of wildlife on this site and within the general area and we are especially concerned over the impact this would have upon itand also that the loss of open countryside is not acceptable.

We would urge you to give some consideration towards the residents of Isham and undertake a proper consultation with us before this proposal is ratified.

Yours sincerely

Mrs A McLaven

Clerk to Isham Parish Council

Sent to

All North Northamptonshire Joint Planning Committee Members

@

All North Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit Partners

Borough Council of Wellingborough

Corby Borough Council – – Chief Executive

East Northamptonshire District Council David Oliver, Chief Exec.

Kettering Borough Council

Northamptonshire County Council

Mr Peter Bone MP -

Mr Philip Hollobone MP -

Mr John Campbell – Borough Council of Wellingborough Chief Executive –
Mr David Cook – Kettering Borough Council–

Mr Paul Blantern – Northamptonshire County Council Chief Executive–

Mr Jim Harker – Leader of Northamptonshire County Council

Mr Michael Clarke –Responsible Transport, Highways and Environment at Northamptonshire County Council -

Mr Andre Gonzales De Savage – Responsible for Strategic Infrastructure, Economic Growth and Public Protection at Northamptonshire County Council