Village extension refused by planning committee

Plans to build almost 50 homes in an extension to a village have been turned down by a council.

West Northamptonshire Council's planning committee refused the development on the edge of Badby, near Daventry, last week.

The proposals had received more than 80 letters of objection, with the authority's planning officers recommending refusal due to harm to the landscape and character of the village.

A report also pointed to insufficient information on a safe and suitable access route into the site.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the 49-home development had been proposed by Southern Strategic Land.

It would have been positioned on countryside on the western edge of Badby, between Pound Lane and the A361.

Speaking at the planning meeting, a local resident warned councillors that the plans would "shatter" the character of the village and "fundamentally erode" Badby's historic secluded character.

The proposals had also been opposed by Badby Parish Council.

The agent for the application, Ben Jones, told members that the area had a "clear and pressing housing need" and that the site represented the only logical direction for the village to grow.

He said: "Members, this application asks a simple question - what kind of future do we want for villages like Badby? Successful villages cannot remain frozen in time.

"Without affordable homes, younger generations are increasingly priced out of the communities in which they grew up. Local homes for local people, who would otherwise struggle to access housing in this area."

However, the committee at the Reform UK-controlled council decided to vote in line with officer recommendations, and refused the homes.

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