A Northamptonshire MP opposes a plan to build a major business park in his constituency, he has told a council. Corby MP Tom Pursglove wrote to North Northamptonshire Council to oppose the plan for the proposed 120-acre park between Thrapston and Titchmarsh.
One of four plots on the site would be used by Thrapston-based DSV off the A605 and would be an extension to Halden’s Parkway. Developers said building the site overall would create 500 jobs and that the facilities would create more than 2,000 jobs once it is completed. The land is owned by the Diocese of Peterborough but it sold a 10-year option on the land in 2020. But residents and other groups are opposed to the scheme and have told the council they worry about the impact on roads and environmental damage.Mr Pursglove wrote to the council in a letter received this month “to outline, and firmly associate myself with the strong level of ongoing local objection expressed by my constituents” for the application.
The MP said other residents were concerned about the impact of traffic on “already congested nearby roads”, given “insufficient public transport networks” could not serve the development. Islip Parish Council’s clerk Claire Tilley said: “The application will not provide ‘needed’ local jobs, they will not be diverse and will be dependent on commuting and should be refused.”
STAUNCH said the project would be “significantly damaging to the environment, its ecology, habitats and the intrinsic quality and character of the open countryside, which creates an iconic rural setting for the town of Thrapston and conservation village of Titchmarsh”. It said any damage would be “irreversible, unjustifiable and incapable of reasonable mitigation.” The planning application will be decided by the council in due course.