Sally Keeble MP has written to Northampton Borough Council in advance of a meeting to be held on 30^th July 2007 where councillors are expected to approve the proposed development of Dallington Grange. Sally opposes the development on behalf of constituents on the following grounds:

• There is inadequate infrastructure to support the extra houses, which would lead to problems such as road congestion.
• There has been no assessment of the flood risk to the proposed site. The developers are expected to do this after the Council has given their approval. Sally believes the assessment should be done by a neutral body with no conflict of interest and that it should be done before consent is given.
• Whilst attitudes may have changed in Kings Heath, the residents of Kingsthorpe remain strongly opposed to the development and feel that they would suffer from the costs of the development and not benefit from any of the advantages.

Sally has also criticised the way the Council has handled the issue. Many of the councillors won their seats at the recent elections opposing the development. The meeting to approve the proposals has also not been publicised until the last minute. Sally has conducted two thorough surveys of constituents views and taken a clear interest in the issue yet was not informed of the meeting until two working days before. Finally the meeting is being held at the peak of the holiday season, when most people will be going away, which again makes it hard for the public to become engaged in the process.

The letters that Sally has written to the Leader and the Chief Executive of Northampton Borough Council are attached below.