Battle against plans for giant warehouse between Milton Keynes and Northampton hits snag as residents ordered to remove protest banner

A protest to stop a gigantic warehouse development that would be seen for miles between Milton Keynes and Northampton has hit a snag – and led to protesters feeling even more outraged.

The proposal is for nine warehouses, five storeys high and totaling 700,000 square metres of floorspace, to be built at the A5/A508 roundabout between Cosgrove and Old Stratford.

Plans show the finished development, which includes a country park, would be almost as big as Old Stratford village itself.

Residents formed the Furtho Development Objection Group to launch a protest, and the first line of attack was to place a large banner on the Old Stratford A5 roundabout saying ‘Stop 3000 Trucks Here’. This referred to the estimated number of heavy vehicle movements the development would generate.

But planning authority West Northamptonshire Council (WCN) promptly ordered that the banner be removed because it is against their regulations.

Cllr Ian McCord, the Independent councillor for Deanshanger ward, said: “Within 48 hours, WNC planning enforcement contacted the group, informing them that this did not have planning approval and needed to be removed.”

He has now accused the council of having “double standards” and seemingly being “on the side” of developers.

He said: “The planning department meanwhile continues to process the application, despite the fact that the proposal does not accord with the council’s adopted policy for the site. The policy states that the site will be accessed from a new roundabout. The plans do not have a roundabout.

“The council has a supplementary planning guidance that states no units larger than 80,000 sq ft should be built on the site. The largest unit is 350,000 sq ft.”

The councillor has also highlighted the case of a housing development a few miles away in Towcester, where West Northants Council imposed a planning condition that the Towcester Relief Road should be opened by the occupation of the 800th house.

"Currently over 900 are occupied and this part of the road while under construction, is not yet open,” he said.

“West Northamptonshire Council must end their planning enforcement double standards and stop being seen to be on the side of developers against residents.

“The double standard is so clear to be seen. When local groups, with no money or in house legal department, have an alleged breach of planning they are quick to act. When a developer, with large resources and an in house legal team, does not comply they take no action, swallow all excuses unchallenged and behave in spineless way.

“WNC must be even handed. WNC must stop ignoring, inventing and dispensing with inconvenient policy, inventing new policy and stretching existing policy to absurd lengths always to the benefit of the developers.”

Planning officials at WCN say they have been in “extensive negotiations” with the developer over the matter. But they say the housing scheme is a major development for the Towcester and has contributed economically to the town not with S106 contributions, employment and business in the local area.

"Should we respond immediately to the breach in condition with a ‘heavy handed’ approach and ask for the site works to cease with immediate effect, this could expose WNC to the risks mentioned above and also have far reaching effects...” they said.