DHL warehouse plan is approved after public inquiry

A large warehouse will be built on the outskirts of a town despite more than a thousand local objections.

DHL was originally refused planning permission by West Northamptonshire Council to build a logistics hub on the edge of Towcester.

But after a nine-day hearing, the government's planning inspectorate has given it the go-ahead.

Government-appointed inspector Malcolm Rivett said: "The significant benefits of the scheme would outweigh the relatively limited harm likely to be caused."

The developers now have permission to build an 18.5m (61ft) tall warehouse for the delivery giant, covering about 265,000 sq ft, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Staff will access the site via a new roundabout on the A5, and improvements have also been proposed to the A5/A43 Tove Roundabout.

Outline planning permission has also been granted for three more employment zones on the site in the future - and land has been allocated for Towcester Town Football Club pitches.

DHL has previously stated that the first phase of the project would generate around 1,300 full-time jobs for the area, once complete.

Residents submitted more than 1,100 letters of objection during the planning application.

Councillors rejected the project, saying the size and scale would have caused visual harm and created too much extra traffic, despite council officers recommending its approval.

In his 32-page report, Mr Rivett found that the views of the warehouse buildings from Towcester would not be "significant", calling it a "minor adverse" effect at most.

He added: "I have also had regard to the overall level of local objection to the scheme - more than 1,000 written representations and the heartfelt objections of those who spoke at the Inquiry.

"However, I consider that this, in itself, would not justify refusal of permission.

"I conclude that the significant benefits of the scheme would outweigh the relatively limited harm likely to be caused.

"There was nothing more that we could do."

Isla Whitcroft, the co-founder of Save Towcester Now, said the approval was "a dreadful decision".

"We felt we made the case well at the appeal," she said.

"It's eroded trust in local democracy."

DHL has been contacted for comment.

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