This 2.3-hectare site on the southern edge of the village of Kilsby was acquired by the Wigley family in the 1960s as a long-term investment.
It was classified as greenfield land and used for agricultural purposes. Proposals were brought forward to help address an identified shortfall in Daventry District Council’s five-year housing land supply.
Pre-application meetings were held with planning officers at Daventry District Council and members of Kilsby Parish Council. A local exhibition gave the community an opportunity to view the proposals and ask questions of the planning and consultant team in advance of the submission of a formal planning application.
The provision of new housing on greenfield land is rarely popular with local communities, but this site was considered to be sustainably located due to its proximity to local facilities and access to employment within the village, all of which were well within acceptable walking and cycling distances.
Favourable comments during the consultation identified the site as the most suitable location for new development in the village.
Our professional team were able to work positively with local stakeholders to identify a number of mitigating measures which included new areas of public open space and the provision of a right-turn ghost island junction with a pedestrian refuge in the middle of the road. The latter exceeded all design requirements and expectations for a development of this size and scale but helped overcome local concern.
An outline planning application was submitted to Daventry District Council. Having overcome concerns of statutory consultees and key stakeholders, the Council’s planning committee agreed with our submission that, given the scale and siting of the proposed development and its relationship to the existing village, it would not impact adversely on the amenity of the area or surrounding landscape, so the benefits of the scheme outweighed any perceived harm.
The planning committee resolved to grant outline planning permission, subject to completion of a Section 106 Agreement.
The site was subsequently sold to Avant Homes.