On 22 January 2024, following an appeal hearing held in November/December 2023, the Planning Inspector dismissed the appeal for change of use of land at Peasdale Hill Field for residential purposes and development, including any temporary approval.
The Inspector considered that the significant adverse impacts to landscape character, appearance, archaeology and highways safety outweighed North Northants Council’s (NNC’s) lack of a 5-year supply for gypsy and traveller sites and the personal circumstances of the applicant’s families and children. With part of the site lying on the route of the Roman Road ‘Gartree Way’, she also gave considerable weight to the fact that the intentional unauthorised development (IUD) of the site, including removal of topsoil and construction of hardstanding, had caused irreversible damage to archaeological assets.
There is no doubt, based on the Inspector’s report, that the submissions made our village action group, Middleton RAG, were extremely important and influential in her determination of the appeal. Massive thanks to everyone involved in RAG who have, and continue to, put in so much hard work into the protection of our local environment.
Due to a legal technicality, NNC’s original enforcement notice issued in January 2021 was quashed, so a new enforcement notice is now required for removal of the caravans from the site and restoration of the land.
You can find more information and background here.