There are many detailed points below, including policy references to evidence the reason for objections related to your streets. Remember in your letter to include the council planning reference number and to state that you OBJECT to the planning proposal, otherwise your letter won’t be counted. You can use our template to help you to compose your letter (link).
The types of things that have been highlighted as material objections for your streets include:
- Increased traffic; as an extra 330 cars, service vehicles and trades people will be using your estate and Prospect Avenue for access. There are risks associated with this, in terms of accidents, congestion and pollution. The Rushden Traffic Survey (2014) advises against plans that create this.
- All previous planning policies state John Clarke Way as the access point, which should be adhered to or the development stopped (i.e. East Northamptonshire District Local Plan 1996 – Rushden Strategy Statement Policy RU3 (page 140); and Three Towns Plan (ENC), 2011)
- The by-pass was built to keep traffic away from the town centre; this proposed entrance will cause congestion and safety risks to all connecting roads into Higham Road, causing gridlock from the traffic lights at the Washbrook Road end to the Northampton Road junction at Toll Bar and along Higham High `Street. This can already be witnessed at school entrance/exit times outside of lockdown.
- Lack of provision for children on the new estate, which means that the current St James Park provision would have to cater for the whole new estate, which is against local policy.
- The new estate is proposed to be 100% social housing and very dense. These kinds of estates have been associated with higher crime rates and Central Government recommends a mix of housing now.
- The environmental impact is massive and impacts protected wildlife species, but some things could be done to reduce the impact and there are already local policies which recommend things like wildlife shelter belts.
For more material objections to include, see the sections in ‘News: Material Objections’ labelled ‘Highway Safety’, ‘Children’ and ‘Safety and Crime’ (link). You can download the template letter to insert your objections using link above.
