c/o East House Cedar Drive Northamptonshire NN14 4LZ Tel 01832 742355 Email [email protected] Web www.nnjpu.org.uk

5th April 2018

Dear Sir/Madam,

Strategic Growth Plan for and : Draft Plan

Thank you for consulting the Joint Planning and Delivery Unit (JPDU) on the above. The JPDU is a partnership of , , Kettering and East Northamptonshire councils together with Northamptonshire County Council. The JPDU works through a Joint Planning Committee to produce the Joint Core Strategy (JCS) which is the strategic part 1 of the Local Plan to 2031 and a Joint Delivery Committee to take forward delivery issues. An officer response to the consultation is set out below.

Connectivity

As a neighbouring area, the main subject of interest for the JPDU relates to connectivity and ensuring that infrastructure between Leicestershire and North Northamptonshire can facilitate sustainable travel including mitigating congestion on roads.

One of the key means of connectivity between the two areas is rail travel between Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby and Leicester via the Midland Mainline, primarily for commuting purposes, but also for leisure, health and education. The JPDU concurs with the support given within the Strategic Growth Plan for the reinstatement of plans for the electrification of the Midland Mainline north of Kettering. This is consistent with the Joint Planning Committee’s response to the East Rail Franchise consultation in October 2017. For reference Policy 17 of the North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy (JCS) not only seeks the electrification and line speed improvements of the Midland Mainline northbound, but also seeks the continuation of through services from North Northamptonshire to Leicester, and and connecting with HS2 for onwards northbound travel. The Joint Planning Committee raised significant concern about the proposed loss of through services from Wellingborough in its response to the Rail Franchise consultation, and the Strategic Growth Plan should support the maintenance of these through services.

Alongside through services to the Cities, it will be important for maintaining connectivity that service levels should not be unduly reduced for the larger towns in Leicestershire e.g. Loughborough and Market Harborough, particularly the latter given its connections with North Northamptonshire.

Strategic Planning for the Districts and Boroughs of Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough & East Northamptonshire Although not a direct link, the proposals for a new expressway route for the A46 south/east of Leicester would improve connectivity and strategic links, particularly for Corby and Kettering.

It is considered that improved connections between North Northamptonshire and Leicestershire could also facilitate wider connectivity to the Cambridge-Milton Keynes- Oxford (C-MK-O) corridor which will be a key focal point for housing growth and economic development. On the 15th March 2018 the North Northamptonshire Joint Planning and Delivery Committees confirmed that North Northamptonshire should be part of the C-MK-O corridor, subject to it being recognised as a distinct delivery and joint planning area within the corridor.

Green Infrastructure

It is recognised that the Plan references Protecting Environmental, Historic and other Assets as the fifth building block of the Plan. Whilst recognising the high level nature of the document, the absence of any clear mention of Green Infrastructure (GI) within the Plan is an opportunity that should be addressed, given their strategic nature and large areas that they can cover. Para 7.7 of the JCS (relating to Policy 19) states that the JPDU “will liaise with adjoining authorities to ensure that green infrastructure corridors are harmonised and enhanced across administrative boundaries and recognised in the development of specific proposals.” The most relevant identified GI Corridor for North Northamptonshire and Leicestershire is the Welland Valley that runs parallel with the county border. It is considered that the Plan should identify strategic GI opportunities and how these inform the strategy, including high level distribution of development.

We recognise that the Strategic Growth Plan is a non-statutory Plan but given that it will provide an agreed framework for Local Plans prepared by individual authorities it will be important that it is underpinned by robust evidence and sound, to ensure the implications of the growth to 2050 are fully understood and capable of being implemented through LPA plan making.

Should you have any queries with this response, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to continuing to positively engage with Leicester and Leicestershire as the Strategic Growth Plan progresses.

Yours faithfully,

Simon James Planning Policy Manager North Northamptonshire Joint Planning and Delivery Unit

Strategic Planning for the Districts and Boroughs of Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough & East Northamptonshire