I have today written an open letter to residents of Towcester and South Northamptonshire regarding the DHL warehousing development application. This development would be completely inappropriate for our area and I will speak against it at the planning hearing next week. Please find the full text of the letter below:
Dear Resident,
Since my election in July, I have been working hard on your priorities both here in South Northamptonshire and in Westminster. On the campaign trail, I heard loud and clear from local residents their concerns about the DHL warehousing planning application in Towcester. Subsequently, I have met with key local stakeholders including Save Towcester Now and National Highways.
I will be speaking at the Strategic Planning Committee hearing for this application on Tuesday 10th September, where I will stress my opposition to this application for the following reasons:
- Character – this proposed logistics development located at the gateway of this historic Roman town (the oldest in Northamptonshire) is clearly not in keeping with the character of the local area which is a key consideration under the local plan.
- Pollution and traffic – National Highways has acknowledged to me that over the next few years there will be a huge growth in background traffic that would lead to congestion on our roads. The DHL application can only exacerbate this when looking beyond the initial required modelling and would mean longer journey times and crucially worsening air quality in Towcester and the surrounding villages.
- Employment – South Northamptonshire has one of the highest employment rates of any constituency in the country. This site would not offer jobs for local people – instead employees would have to travel from further afield worsening the traffic situation contrary to the local plan ideals. This development does not fulfil an identifiable local need.
Please do get in touch with me if you have any further thoughts on this application or any other local matter via my email address, [email protected], or through a letter to my office in Parliament. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Sarah Bool MP
