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On 30th October 2007, the planning committee of the un-elected WNDC agreed to award planning permission for the controversial Sandy Lane Relief Road. The most pressing of the objections put forward by NRA, questioned the safety of this development in the light of evidence that they had exposed earlier of the potential for land slip (solifluction) on the site. The details of the evidence and the risks are fairly technical and, judging by their comments on the night, were not fully understood by the committee members. A Halcrow (the developer’s consultants) representative told the committee that a survey for land stability had been carried out as part of the original planning application. However, this information was not drawn to the committee’s attention in the original committee report in February 2007, because Stephen Kelly (Director of Planning at WNDC) decided it was not significant. Even though WNDC were made aware of the land stability problem in Northamptonshire in March 2007, Kelly still didn’t think it was necessary to advise the committee of the potential dangers of land instability until September 2007, when NRA lifted the lid off the concealed land stability reports.
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Before the meeting, we provided the committee with the simple drawing shown above to try to explain to them what sort of tests are required to make sure the land is free from solifluction. It was obvious from the committee’s reaction, they really felt that this was just another obstacle to prevent the road going forward. To his credit, one committee member had the sense to ask Halcrow what depth of bore holes had been excavated during the tests they conducted. The answer? 7 Metres. When asked why only this depth, Halcrow replied that was the limit of their bore hole equipment. As you will see from our drawing (which relies on a report by the solifluction expert called in to advise on the catastrophic landslip that occurred in Daventry) the recommended minimum depth is 12 metres. However, the man actually went onto say that it didn’t matter if the land was unstable, because Halcrow have actually designed the road to be immune to a landslip. This is an incredible statement to make, because this is something that Northampton Development Corporation couldn’t do, which is why they removed their sloping land from sale in 1983. Either this is a fantastic advance in engineering that should be shared with the rest of the world, or NRA should investigate this claim more closely. This is what we are doing now.
In spite of the obvious shortcomings of the Halcrow survey and the supplementary information provided to them by their representative, the committee decided to accept their advice - seemingly because Halcrow had published technical reports on landslip in the past and it was considered that their advice was more reliable than the advice given to Northampton Development Corporation in 1983. You know when you want something to happen so badly? Sometimes nothing will stop you grabbing it - even when at the back of your mind you know you are ignoring warning signs. The NRA intend to pursue and expose those warning signs to the committee and those that will judge their actions in the future. The Duston Action Group have advised WNDC via their solicitors that they are looking to apply for a judicial review to have the planning application overturned.
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