Garden Communities and Sustainable Urban Extensions

Tresham Garden Village

Tresham Garden Village (previously referred to as Deenethorpe Airfield Garden Village) is one of 14 garden village projects that the Government is supporting through capacity funding and assistance from Homes England. This support has enabled the former East Northamptonshire Council (ENC) and the former North Northamptonshire Joint Planning and Delivery Unit to work with the promoter (Land Acquisition and Promotion LLP) and landowner (the Deene Estate) to prepare a detailed masterplan and delivery strategy.

The proposal for an exemplary new Garden Village includes 1,500 homes, community facilities, shops, business premises and generous green space. It would occupy part of the 600 acre airfield site located between the villages of Deenethorpe and Benefield to the east of Corby.

The Joint Core Strategy

The idea of creating a Garden Village at the airfield was tested through the preparation of the North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy (the strategic policy framework for the former local authority areas of Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough). This was adopted in July 2016 following various stages of consultation, and an examination by an independent Inspector. Policy 14 of the Joint Core Strategy (JCS) identifies the opportunity to create an exemplary Garden Village and sets out demanding standards for its design and operation.

The Masterplan and Delivery Strategy

A Masterplan and Delivery Strategy (MDS) has been prepared to make sure that key issues identified in the Joint Core Strategy are addressed in deciding whether and how the Garden Village should be built. These include the following:

• How to make effective use of the previously developed airfield site, including the removal of existing aviation facilities and open storage uses and the restoration of the landscape;
• Providing a balance of homes and jobs;
• Provision of a mix of new housing, both market and affordable, as well as accommodation for older persons;
• Providing quality open space, including natural and formal green spaces;
• Providing a network of dedicated pedestrian and cycle links with direct and clearly defined connections to neighbouring towns and villages;
• Providing a road network which allows the village to be serviced by public transport;
• Providing Nursery and Primary education facilities (with the potential for a secondary school also considered)
• Providing local shops/services and a range of spaces for community use.
• A 6-week consultation on the draft MDS took place between March and April 2018. This included public exhibitions to gather feedback on the proposals.  Following amendment in the light of comments received, the draft MDS was agreed by the former ENC’s Full Council on October 15 2018, subject to the resolution of outstanding technical details to be agreed under delegated authority.

Following this, an updated MDS was agreed by the former ENC in July 2019 which is considered to satisfy the criteria and standards of Policy 14 of the Joint Core Strategy .

What happens next

The MDS will form the basis for a planning application.  This has been delayed while the promoters do further work to demonstrate the financial viability of their proposals.  North Northamptonshire Council needs to be confident that the Garden Village will meet the highest possible standard of design and sustainability. Subject to this, further technical work will be undertaken to allow a planning application to be submitted. 

It is important that the planning application addresses concerns and opportunities identified by local communities. Work on the MDS was steered by a Project Board including representatives of the former District and County Councils and the Parish Councils of Deene and Deenethorpe and Benefield. A Liaison Forum will be established to involve a wider range of stakeholders, including representatives of local communities, as the project proceeds.

More recently, the former ENC Council used funding secured from the Government to carry out a housing needs survey. This has been undertaken by Opinion Research Services (ORS) during January and February 2021. The findings will help ensure that the type and size of homes provided at the Garden Village meet the needs of existing, as well as new, North Northamptonshire residents. This study was finalised in October 2021 and is available to view on request from [email protected].

Last updated 17 August 2023