Appendix A Planning Report – December 2025

REPORT FROM THE PLANNING GROUP – December 2025 APPENDIX A

• Granted Applications

• Refused/Withdrawn Applications

• Pending Applications

• New Applications

• Greenhill solar farm

The Examination process has started. I attended the first Issue Specific Hearing and when challenged, the developer admitted that they did not need the construction route through Bozeat after saying that it was necessary in the DCO documentation.  A parish Written Representation has been submitted that highlighted the Parish specific issues and supporting the more comprehensive CPRE Northamptonshire Representation that I also prepared.  The Examination is progressing and rebuttals/comments are being made to responses to written representations.

• 25/01307/3MACOU Conversion to 5 flats, Arch Villas, High Street

A proposal to convert Arch Villas into 5 one-bed flats with no parking provision.

Comments sent:

Bozeat Parish Council object to this application.  We have the following concerns:

• The loss of business premises
• Lack of parking provision
• Potential odour issues
• Safety
• Amenity

Loss of Business Premises

Bozeat has very limited local employment opportunities and Arch Villas is one of the few remaining business premises within the village where a business could be established.  The application states that the site has been vacant for 18 months but contains no evidence that the site has been marketed for business use during that period.

Parking – (JCS Policy 8 b ii)

We note the comment about a potential of a requirement for 8-9 spaces for a commercial use but this not only does not reflect the previous use of the site, but it does not recognise that the maximum on-street parking pressures occur overnight when a commercial premises would be closed.  We also note the suggestion that 5 spaces would be sufficient but this does not meet the Northamptonshire Parking Standards for class C3 dwellings with 1 bedroom which sets a requirement of “1 space per dwelling, plus visitor spaces at 1 per dwelling across the development”.  This equates to a requirement for 10 spaces for the scheme.  No spaces are shown on the plans and although the courtyard could accommodate a small amount of parking, it would create less than 5 spaces and remove the communal outdoor space.

Bozeat has particularly high levels of car ownership because of the low level of local employment opportunities and poor public transport provision.  The High Street already suffers from such acute parking problems that parking disputes have resulted in criminal damage to vehicles.  The congested parking has also resulted in cases where refuse vehicles were unable to access Warners Hill.  The High Street clearly cannot accommodate any of the overnight parking that the scheme would generate.

We are further concerned that if vehicles enter the site and there are vehicles parked, they would have insufficient space to turn and so be forced to reverse out unsighted onto the High Street.

Odour – (JCS Policy 8 e i)

The Okra Indian cuisine takeaway is the only fast food purveyor within the village. This is situated at 21 High Street which is adjacent to the proposal site (see photographs).  The cooking odours generated by this business probably render at least part of the proposal site unsuitable for residential use.

Safety – (JCS Policy 8 b i)

Any vehicles exiting the site would have inadequate visibility of oncoming vehicles or pedestrians on the High Street.  The 1.5m wall could be shortened to address this on one side of the site but to do so would be detrimental to the street scene in which this wall along with that of the neighbouring property currently forms an attractive feature (see right hand picture above).

There is further concern that the doors to the takeaway open directly onto the entranceway.  This means that not only is there regular pedestrian traffic across the entranceway, but when leaving the takeaway pedestrians could step directly onto the entranceway and into the path of a vehicle.

Amenity – (JCS Policy 8 e vi)

If residents resort to parking on-site due to lack of parking on the High Street, then the new dwellings would have no amenity space.

The Parish Council recommends that this application should be refused.  We further request that it is visited by the site viewing group.

• 25/01643/PDE 44 Ground floor extension, 23 London Road

A small rear extension to support disabled living.

• 25/01313/FUL Change of use to takeaway & hairdressers, 76 London Rd

This proposes to split the vacant shop into a hairdressers and takeaway