Latest news with #SaveTowcesterNow
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Council's £170k bill revealed for warehouse appeal
A council is facing a bill of almost £170,000 after losing an appeal over a warehouse plan on the edge of a town, it has emerged. West Northamptonshire Council's planning committee refused permission in September for a DHL site on the edge of Towcester. The firm appealed and a planning inspector overturned the council's decision in April after a public inquiry. The council said the bills would be covered by its annual legal budget. Protesters opposing the building of a logistics hub with a 18.5m (60.7ft) high warehouse on the edge of Towcester claimed victory when councillors went against their officers' advice and threw out DHL's plan. More than 1,100 people had written to the council to express worries about an increase in traffic, the look of the buildings and noise and light pollution. The logistics firm appealed, and a nine-day hearing in the town resulted in a planning inspector allowing the development to go ahead. Following a Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council revealed the cost of external consultants and external legal counsel and fees was approximately £169,999.53 (including VAT). This figure does not include internal costs such as work by planning officers, the council's legal team and administrative staff. The bill for printing documents, paper and filing has also been left out of the total. The council was under Conservative control when the appeal was heard, but was taken over by Reform UK following the election on 1 May. A spokesperson for the authority said: "West Northamptonshire Council has an annual legal budget that can be used to defend planning appeals and seek legal assistance. "It was used in this case for an appeal which received widespread community support where the council acted overwhelmingly in the public interest. "The council's new administration will be prioritising work to put in place a cohesive and robust Local Plan for our area to protect our communities from inappropriate development." Since the appeal, the council announced it would not contest a separate warehousing appeal for land next to Bell Plantation in Towcester. Planning officers said the sites had "very significant crossover" and that the reasons for refusal were no longer sustainable when looking at the DHL appeal result. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. DHL warehouse plan is approved after public inquiry Residents face DHL in warehouse appeal battle Victory for campaigners against rural warehouses DHL Towcester project Save Towcester Now
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Final arguments made in DHL Towcester warehouse appeal
A hearing to decide whether a logistics giant should be allowed to build a large warehouse on the edge of a rural town has heard closing was refused permission by Conservative-controlled West Northamptonshire Council to build a hub on the outskirts of company appealed against that decision, and a planning inspector opened a public inquiry in representing DHL, West Northamptonshire Council and Save Towcester Now presented their closing arguments in an online meeting. A final decision will be made at a later date. The centrepiece of the proposed site is a warehouse with offices and a gatehouse, covering about 265,000 sq ft (about 24,500 sq m). The height of the building would be 60ft (18.5m).Staff would get to the site via a new roundabout on the A5, with parking for 273 also wants outline planning permission for up to 14 more company said the first phase, with the warehouse, would lead to about 1,300 full-time jobs. Conflicting views The public inquiry has been chaired by planning inspector Malcolm the inquiry, Mr Rivett made two site the campaign group Save Towcester Now, Daniel Stedman Jones argued that "the appeal scheme conflicts fundamentally with the development plan as a whole [and] the supposed benefits of the scheme in no way outweigh those conflicts".Saira Kabir Sheikh KC, representing West Northamptonshire Council, said the authority "refused this application because it had grave concerns about the impact this large complex of warehouses and logistics facilities would have on the small settlement of Towcester".Last September, the council decided that the proposal contravened the county's local plan "by virtue of its size, siting, scale and design", and it created too much extra rejected the project, even though their officers had recommended approval. Paul Tucker KC, representing the DHL, said "the government could not be clearer about the desperate need to secure inward investment into the UK economy".He added: "This proposal for a deliverable, policy-compliant, much needed employment scheme on an allocated site in an up-to-date plan has been opposed tooth and nail by the council and the Rule 6 party [Save Towcester Now]." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
27-01-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Campaigners raise £17K for Towcester warehouse planning appeal
A campaign group fighting plans for a logistics hub has raised thousands to fight an DHL logistics firm has challenged West Northamptonshire Council's decision to refuse permission for the development on the edge of Towcester in Northamptonshire."Save Towcester Now" said the hub would "dominate the landscape" and generate a lot of new said the council's decision to reject the plan was "very disappointing" as there were no statutory objections. DHL's proposal would cover an area of farmland equivalent to 45 football includes a 26,200 sq m warehouse and development land for further buildings with a maximum height of said it would offer "the highest standards of sustainable development" and more than 1,200 jobs. Protesters described the scheme as "a monstrosity" which would have generated "traffic and pollution".Councillors were advised by their officers to grant permission in September 2024, but decided to refuse consent because of the visual impact of the development and the increase in traffic it would lodged an appeal in November and a hearing will take place on 18 February. Evidence will be collected until 28 Towcester Now said the funds it has raised - almost £17,000 - would be used for its legal and professional costs for the planning inspector could overturn the Conservative-controlled council's decision. Isla Whitcroft, who co-founded the Save Towcester Now campaign, said: "We are extremely grateful for the donations that have come through so rapidly."This shows the full support of Towcester and the surrounding areas to Save Towcester Now and against this development."You don't get this money so quickly if people aren't really, really worried." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
