Consultation Portal

A.3 Towcester Rejected Options

Towcester Option 2 (Towcester West)

A.3.1 Please refer to Towcester - Options assessed for future growth

Justification for rejecting option

• The A43 would be a barrier between this option and Towcester town and limits the means to access the town centre by walking and cycling.
• The River Tove corridor and flood plain which flows through this option, would limit its development potential.

Why this option does not meet the vision and objectives of the Emergent Joint Core Strategy.

• This Option is unlikely to deliver growth which is joined to the main urban area, and hence foster a diverse and sustainable community that can be well linked by good social and integrated transport facilities and infrastructure.
• This Option is unlikely to provide the best protection and enhancement of Towcester's built and cultural assets, as it does not provide an opportunity for the A5 through route to be diverted away from the town centre to create a better environment for the town centre.
• As the land within in this option is at risk of flooding and does not provide the opportunity to divert the A5, it would not necessarily protect the environment by minimising flooding and the effects of  climate change or facilitate improvements in air quality.

Towcester Option 3 (Towcester Northwest)

A.3.2 Please refer to Towcester - Options assessed for future growth

Justification for rejecting option

• The A43 / A5 would be a barrier between this option and Towcester town and limits the means to access the town centre by walking and cycling.
• The River Tove corridor and flood plain which flows through this option, would limit its development potential.

Why this option does not meet the vision and objectives of the Emergent Joint Core Strategy

• This option is unlikely to deliver growth which is joined to the main urban area, and hence foster a diverse and sustainable community that can be well linked by good social and integrated transport facilities and infrastructure.
• This option will not necessarily provide the best protection and enhancement of Towcester’s built and cultural assets, as it does not provide an opportunity for the A5 through route to be diverted away from the town centre to create a better environment for the town centre.
• As the land within in this option is at risk of flooding and does not provide the opportunity to divert the A5, it would not necessarily protect the protect the environment by minimising flooding and the effects of climate change or facilitate improvements in air quality.

Towcester Option 5 (Towcester Racecourse)

A.3.3 Please refer to Towcester - Options assessed for future growth

Justification for rejecting option

• The racecourse is an economic and social asset to Towcester which should be retained.
• Development in this location would need to be sensitive to the historic park and garden of Eastern Neston.
• The topography of this area is challenging and development would be highly visible from both the northern and southern approaches.

Why this option does not meet the vision and objectives of the Emergent Joint Core Strategy.

• The racecourse is an important economic asset, loosing the racecourse would not aid West Northamptonshire to exploit its position internationally for economic advantage, nor aid Towcester to promote itself as a destination of  cultural tourism.
• This option will not provide the best protection and enhancement of Towcester’s built and cultural assets, as it does not provide an opportunity for the A5 through route to be diverted away from the town centre to create a better environment for the town centre.

Towcester Option 6 (Towcester North)

A.3.4 Please refer to Towcester - Options assessed for future growth

Justification for rejecting option

• The A43 would be a barrier between this option and Towcester town and limits the means to access the town centre by walking and cycling.
• There are archaeological and wildlife assets within this option, which would limit the development potential.
• This site was previously used for landfill, which again limits the development potential.

Why this option does not meet the vision and objectives of the Emergent Joint Core Strategy

• This option is unlikely to deliver growth which is joined to the main urban area, and hence foster a diverse and sustainable community that can be well linked by good social and integrated transport facilities and infrastructure.
• This option is unlikely to provide the best protection and enhancement of Towcester’s built and cultural assets as it does not provide an opportunity for the A5 through route to be diverted away from the town centre to create a better environment for the town centre.
• As the land does not provide the opportunity to divert the A5, it would not necessarily protect the environment by facilitating improvements in air quality.

Towcester Option 7 (Towcester to Silverstone Lung)

A.3.5 Please refer to Towcester - Options assessed for future growth

Justification for rejecting option

• This linear option is a significant distance from Towcester town centre, limiting the ability for potential residents to make best use of existing services and facilities in Towcester.

Why this option does not meet the vision and objectives of the Emergent Joint Core Strategy

• This option will not deliver growth which is joined to the main urban area and hence foster a diverse and sustainable community that can be well linked by good social and integrated transport facilities and infrastructure.
• This option does not deliver managed growth principally focused on Towcester as required by the East Midlands Regional Plan and the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub Regional Strategy.
• By virtue of its location, this option would not necessarily enable and support the delivery of co-ordinated transport improvements with an emphasis on non-car modes.

Towcester Option 8 (East of Silverstone Lung)

A.3.6 Please refer to Towcester - Options assessed for future growth

Justification for rejecting option

• This option would represent an extension to Silverstone and would not be physically related to Towcester.
• This limits the ability for potential residents to make best use of existing services and facilities in Towcester.

Why this option does not meet the vision and objectives of the Emergent Joint Core Strategy.

• This option will not deliver growth which is joined to the main urban area, and hence foster a diverse and sustainable community that can be well linked by good social and integrated transport facilities and infrastructure.
• This option does not deliver managed growth principally focused on Towcester as required by the East Midlands Regional Plan and the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub Regional Strategy.
• This option would not support the regeneration of Towcester.
• By virtue of its location, this option would not necessarily enable and support the delivery of co-ordinated transport improvements with an emphasis on non-car modes.