Over a thousand homes tipped for approval in West Northants

Two separate planning applications totalling 1,300 new homes will head for West Northamptonshire council’s planning committee this week, both with a recommendation for approval.

The largest and most controversial of the two schemes, put forward by Northampton-based promoter Manor Oak Homes, could see outline planning permission granted for 850 homes near Grange Park if approved by councillors tomorrow (16 June).

Those plans also include a local centre, land for a primary school, as well as community allotments and enhanced off-site pedestrian and cycle links – set to form what Manor Oak describes as a “a natural extension to the Northampton urban area” on a 115-acre plot around four miles southeast of the town centre.

The scheme has attracted controversy, however, with 534 letters of objection submitted to the proposals during the consultation period.

Parish councils in Grange Park and Quinton submitted no less than 27 separate representations imploring the planning authority to reject the proposals, while nearby Wootton PC said the scheme was an  “inappropriate, isolated, unsustainable location for development in the open countryside,” which ran contrary to the area’s development plan.

Earlier plans for a 300-home development on the site were turned down by the council, and again dismissed on appeal in 2020.

“This application, through its inclusion of a new village centre, comprising a full range of shops and services required to sustain day-to-day living, and an internal road layout that can accommodate either a rerouted or entirely new bus service, overcomes any issues in respect of sustainability raised during the previous appeal,” said a planning statement submitted in support of the application.

In a report, West Northamptonshire’s planning officers agreed, despite the site’s apparent conflict with the area’s local plan, recommending the application for approval ahead of a meeting of the planning committee on 16 June.

“The conflict with parts of the development plan and identified localised landscape and visual harm, on balance, when applying the tilted balance, do not significant and demonstrably outweigh the identified substantial benefits and the contribution the proposal would make to the Government’s objective of significantly boosting the supply of homes,” they wrote.

Documents and plans relating to the scheme can be found on West Northamptonshire’s planning portal using reference: 2023/5978/EIA

Up to 450 extra houses could be built in Brackley under proposals recommended for approval. Credit: Google

Also potentially poised for the green light at committee are smaller, but substantial plans to extend the town of Brackley by up to 450 homes on its northern edge.

Proposals put forward by Chipping Norton-based Mintondale Developments include a play area and a cemetery for 54 acres of land off Halse Road.

The application has attracted the attention of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, who say the proposal would bring Brackley nearer to the hamlet of Halse, and would destroy the open aspect of the countryside.

In January, a decision to refuse plans for 700 homes around a mile from the application site was overturned by government inspectors, meaning approval for the proposals would potentially see Brackley’s modest population of around 16,000 expand significantly over the course of both developments.

“The proposed development is on greenfield land which is outside of the settlement boundary for Brackley,” said the planning officer’s report.

“However, as per the ‘Land West of Brackley appeal decision (January 2026)’ the council is unable to demonstrate a 5 year supply of housing land. Consequently, the ‘tilted balance’ is engaged and the policies most important for determining the application are considered out-of-date.

“Even if the council could demonstrate a sufficientsupply of housing and the tilted balance was not engaged, the material considerations and benefits identified would, on balance, still outweigh conflict with the development plan,” they added.

Documents and plans relating to the scheme can be found on West Northamptonshire’s planning portal using reference: S/2020/2163/MAO

West Northamptonshire’s planning committee will meet on Tuesday, June 16. A full agenda and supporting document pack can be found on WNC’s website.