Plan for roadside services on floodplain withdrawn
PA MediaA planning application to build an electric vehicle (EV) charging station and roadside facilities on a floodplain has been withdrawn, a council said.
Brampton Valley Way Trust withdrew its proposal to West Northamptonshire Council to build the services on land off Welford Road, in Kingsthorpe, Northampton.
Plans for the 6.5-hectare (16-acre) site next to the North West Relief Road included building an EV charging facility, a retail unit and two drive-thru restaurants.
Sharon Woolard, from Millers Yard Cafe in Northampton, said: "[The withdrawal] was just the most amazing news for the café, the surrounding homes and the community."
She added: "It's just so great it's not going ahead now."
Ms Woolard said she received numerous messages from her customers and friends saying how "happy" they were when the plans were withdrawn.
According to the decision notice from West Northamptonshire Council, the applicant chose to withdraw the application before it reached the committee stage and it did not include why it had chosen to do so.
Ollie Conopo/ BBCThe developer, Pegasus Group, held a public meeting for residents after its plans were revealed to them in September 2024 via leaflets posted through their doors.
At the time, residents raised concerns over the development being built on a floodplain.
The withdrawn plan was one of two for the site and the application's other component is for a solar farm on farmland and is awaiting approval.
If approved, the solar farm will generate up to five megawatts (MW) of electricity using ground-mounted solar panels, according to plans.
Pegasus Group was contacted for comment.
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