Daventry,
Northamptonshire

Site

The Site is located adjacent to the settlement boundary of Daventry. Daventry is identified by the ‘West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy Local Plan (Part 1)’ (adopted December 2014) (“the WNJCS”) as a ‘sub-regional centre’, providing a range of services to support its own needs as well as those of the rural areas around it, second only to Northampton in the settlement hierarchy. The WNJCS recognises that Daventry provides opportunities for economic growth / diversification with a complementary role to Northampton.

Daventry / the Site is a sustainable location for strategic-scale employment development, providing direct access onto the UK’s strategic highway network, enabling efficient connectivity across the wider region and nationwide. The Site is also well positioned in relation to the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT), an established multi-modal freight interchange that supports the sustainable distribution of goods throughout the UK.

Proposals

Up to 73,000 sq m of Class B8 ‘storage and distribution’ use and Class B2 ‘general industry’ use employment development is sought across three developable parcels on the Site, together measuring some 13.4 ha. If floorspace was at ground level only, buildings would cover no more than 54% of the developable area, but with some floorspace on upper levels this coverage would be even less.
A flexible mixed Class B8 / Class B2 use is sought for the floorspace. For transport modelling purposes however, a 75% Class B8 use / 25% Class B2 use split is assumed.

Whilst the detailed design of buildings would be reserved, their likely scale, form and appearance would be similar to those on the adjacent Apex Park employment site to the south east.