Catesby Estates Selected As Strategic Land Promotion Partner For Hardingstone Rise, Northampton

Catesby Estates has entered into an agreement (July 2021) to promote land at Grange Farm, off Newport Pagnell Road, Northampton for residential development.

The greenfield site will be known as Hardingstone Rise and is 105 acres (42.5 hectares), and lies within the administrative area of West Northamptonshire Council.  The site is extremely well located with a range of local facilities within walking distance, and excellent connections to Northampton town and the wider area.

Northampton lies in a strategic location in the heart of England and is located within the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge corridor, an area likely to experience further significant growth and development in the future.

West Northamptonshire Council Emerging Strategic Plan And New Homes

West Northamptonshire Council is currently preparing a new Strategic Plan (the West Northamptonshire Strategic Plan - WNSP) which will set out a spatial vision for the future of the area up to 2050.

As the principal settlement it is anticipated that Northampton will continue to be the focus for new development. In this context the land at Grange Farm is situated in a sustainable location immediately adjoining the approved South of Brackmills Urban Extension (SUE) which includes a range of community facilities and new bus service linking to Northampton town centre.

Strategic Land Site In Northampton - Hardingstone Rise

Hardingstone Rise is located approximately 4.5km south-east of Northampton town centre and forms part of the wider Spatial Option 1E ‘Northampton South East’, identified in the Strategic Plan Spatial Options consultation document (October 2021).

The Council state “The area is located adjacent to the principal urban area of Northampton with the potential to connect new communities to the established services and facilities in Northampton and would be of a scale to provide local facilities on site to meet the needs of future residents”.

Developing A Masterplan For Hardingstone Rise For New Homes And Community Facilities

The following principles will be taken forward and guide the evolution of the masterplan to help create a successful, resilient, ‘climate proofed’ community.

• Promote health and wellbeing through high quality development and access to public spaces which support independence and encourage active and healthy lifestyles.
• Provide facilities that foster social interaction and create inclusive and safe communities, including opportunities for local food production.
• Conserve natural habitats and species, providing net gains in biodiversity and enhancing West Northamptonshire’s network of natural capital to support nature recovery and encourage carbon sequestration.
• Harvest rainwater and greywater within onsite green and blue infrastructure. Implementation of a sustainable drainage strategy, incorporating natural solutions such as swales and ponds to attenuate rainwater, will provide resilience to future flooding whilst providing a wealth of ecological, amenity and wellbeing benefits.
• Provide an appropriate range of high quality, well designed, energy efficient, low carbon homes and buildings. Explore building-level solutions for reducing demand for potable water, such as low flow fixtures and fittings, leak detection and flow control devices.
• Balance the benefits of minimising heat loss in winter with the risk of excessive solar gain during the summer through the layout and orientation of streets, plots and buildings.
• Promote the use of sustainable modes of transport, providing attractive alternatives to the use of cars.