Middleton Parish Council (MPC) and the Middleton Residents Action Group (RAG) have asked North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) to review its decision to validate a new planning application for six Gypsy and Traveller pitches at Oakley Park South, which was received by MPC on 18 September 2026.
The proposal is substantially the same as an application for six Gypsy and Traveller pitches that was approved in 2023. However, following what MPC and RAG describe as the unlawful implementation of that permission, including the clearance of the entire site and the covering of the land with hardcore, Oakley Park South has been subject to ongoing enforcement action by NNC since 2024.
The site owners appealed against two of four enforcement notices issued. These appeals were considered by the Planning Inspectorate, with one appeal quashed and one dismissed in May 2026. There are therefore currently three live enforcement notices relating to Oakley Park and Oakley Park South.
These notices require the removal of all caravans and associated infrastructure, together with the full reinstatement of the hedgerows and land to its original condition. The compliance deadline was the end of October 2026. None of these requirements have yet been met.
MPC and RAG have also asked NNC to consider using its powers under the Town and Country Planning Act to decline to determine the new application on two grounds: first, that it constitutes a repeat application, and second, that both the applicant and the site are currently subject to ongoing enforcement action. We are now awaiting a decision on this planning application at an NNC Planning Meeting, which both MPC and RAG plan to attend to make representations.
For more information and background, please see this page: Planning Applications, Ashley Road, Middleton