A new 4,000-home estate on the north east edge of Daventry came a step closer to reality last week with the formal adoption of the West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy.
The masterplan, which sets out the vision and objectives for Daventry district, Northampton borough and South Northamptonshire up to 2029 was rubber-stamped by the West Northamptonshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee after a favourable report from an inspector in October.
It identifies areas for housing, employment, industry and leisure facilities.
In Daventry the key area identified is the ‘Church Fields’ along the B4026 from Daventry to the Long Buckby Wharf crossroads on the A5.
The plan states the site is capable of providing up to 4,000 homes in a ‘sustainable urban extension’ (SUE), although only 2,000 are likely to be rolled out by the 2020s.
An independent inspector’s report in October on the plans was favourable, although it proposes a number of modifications which subsequently have been incorporated into the Joint Core Strategy.
In particular, the report states the Church Fields site on the north east edge of town is the most sustainable option for a new SUE Daventry. It says: “In principle, this site should be capable of delivering the new housing, facilities and services, including a new secondary and two primary schools, needed to fulfil the strategy for Daventry over the plan period, without the need for any additions or alternatives to be identified.”
The report also states the DIRFT expansion will create thousands of new jobs in the area, as well as emphasising the importance of the Flore/Weedon Bypass) on which work is set to begin next year.
For several years Daventry district has been without an official strategic plan outlining a five year land supply. Without this the district council struggled to defeat on appeal ‘speculative’ home developments.