Questions have been raised over plans to build a massive new distribution centre in Grange Park.
Objections to the proposals, which would see a 10,000 sq ft building constructed along with a two storey office block and an additional three storey office block in Saxon Avenue, have already been submitted by the Environment Agency, Wildlife Trust and the Highways Agency.
Two residents have also posted comments opposing the scheme to the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC), to which the application was submitted on October 22.
The plans were submitted by London based developers Evander Properties and would also include 279 car parking spaces, 37 lorry parking spaces and 33 spaces for bicycles.
In all the facility would cover 19 acres.
Architects AJA Architecture said it would 'make a positive contribution to its surroundings, with attractive contemporary design, which functions well and is safe to use for everyone.'
But the plans have been dismissed out of hand by the Environment Agency.
In a letter to WNDC's Matthew Collerson, the agency's team leader for planning liaison Ben Thornely said he could not approve them due to the absence of an acceptable flood risk assessment.
He wrote that although the application was in a low risk area for flooding, 'the proposed scale of development may present risks of flooding on-site and/or off-site if surface water run-off is not effectively managed'.
He then details a number of measures which must be looked at before the application could be given his approval.
While the Wildlife Trust broadly approved the plans, it did raise concerns about the proposed introduction of exotic and cultivated plantlife and recommended it be replaced with local species.
And in his response to the application, Planning and Biodiversity officer Alan Smith was critical of the plans for not providing a green infrastructure.
'The Wildlife Trust is disappointed to note that, apparently, this application contains no references at all to delivering either county Biodiversity Action Plan target achievements or the provision of Green Infrastructure', he wrote.
And the Highways Agency raised concerns about the Travel Plan (TP) submitted with the proposals, saying commitments made to deliver shower facilities and car sharing spaces were too wishy-washy.
A letter from Lisa Maric, from the Network Delivery and Development Directorate - East Midlands, reads: 'The TP should include a firm commitment to delivering these measures... words such as "should", "may", "consider" do not offer sufficient security that they will be delivered'.
She added that the TP doesn't comply with the Northamptonshire Transport Strategy for Growth as it proposes only a 10 per cent reduction in single occupancy trips, rather than the required 20 per cent.
She concluded that the TP is 'not currently robust enough to be acceptable'.
And noise worries were top of the list of concerns for nearby residents.
L Akekanmbi, from Finney Drive, emailed Mr Collerson to say the proposal did not seem to be 'an appropriate site' for a distribution centre.
He added: 'Although the noise assessment states that the impact will be negligible, I believe there is a considerable amount of noise in this area and object to this being increased... I think it will create particular frustration at night time'.
And Simon Jeffrey, from Walkers Way, objected to the sheer size of the development, the noise it would create and the fact the area would be better suited to a office type complex and not a distribution centre.
He wrote: 'The proposed building is vast in terms of its height (15m), considering the average height is in the order of 8m height, this will dominate the landscape view...
'Nightmare noise in a principally residential area will provide an annoyance.'
He added: '(It) will attract generally low paid workers, and these will not be immediate local people of Grange Park and Wootton, so the statement of providing local jobs is not valid.'
However, no objections were raised by Northamptonshire County Council's planning department.
And Anglian Water didn't raise any major concerns in its response to the plans, noting only that an application to discharge trade effluent - such as petrol and oil - into the sewers must be made to them by the site's eventual owners.
In documents submitted to the WNDC, Coventry based AJA Architecture, said: “The design proposals have been developed with regard to the existing site and its immediate context to create an appropriately sited development which will allow the best possible access by all available modes of transport and giving high priority to pedestrian access.'
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