A row over plans to build 130 new houses on Daventry’s college campus has deepened after attempts to organise a public meeting were rebuffed by Alliance Planning and Northampton College.
The college is currently planning to build a new £13 million facility to revitalise the educational offering at its Badby Road West site after gaining £6.5million of funding from the Local Growth Fund.
However the college is required to match the funding and has teamed up with Alliance Planning to build a housing development on a portion of the site to raise the funds. A planning application was submitted last month.
At a packed meeting of Daventry Town Council last week councillors approved a motion to invite representatives from the college, Alliance Planning and Sports England to speak to the public about the plans, but now this meeting is unlikely to go ahead.
Town councillor Steve Tubb told the Daventry Express the meeting would have been the perfect opportunity to sell the benefits of the new facilities. He said: “Obviously if the new college is required why would they be afraid to come along and sell the positive benefits in a new build?
“Planning applications always have people objecting but the National Planning Policy Framework aim of making the planning system less complex and more accessible, to protect the environment and to promote sustainable growth goes out of the window with every major planning application in Daventry – why is that?
“So just like the 100 or so who attended the meeting I have no more answers and only more questions.”
Mr Tubb added: “I feel for the volunteers of Drayton Grange Football Club who are simply overlooked who have used the college grounds for 35 years giving so many children of the town a goal in life.”
A petition to keep all redevelopment of the Northampton College site on Badby Road West within the existing footprint of the current buildings has been signed by more than 300 people.
nA series of mysterious trenches appeared on football pitches used by Drayton Grange Football Club on Monday – even though the club has not yet finished its season. At the time of printing the Gusher had not received any confirmation from the college on reason for the work, or who was responsible.