20 June, 2014
Rushden Lakes retail park is a £50m shopping and leisure development in Northamptonshire. The site was formerly used for sand and gravel extraction and following caseation of these activities it was used as a watersports and outdoor activity centre.
In 2005 CampbellReith were commissioned to assist in securing outline planning consent for this 11.5 ha development on the A45.
The lakes and woodland that lie to the north of the development site offer rich and diverse habitats. On that basis they were designated as sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a provisional RAMSAR* and SPA (Special Protection Areas) site.
The project involved input from a range of CampbellReith disciplines including environmental, geotechnical and transportation to deliver the final planning solutions.
The park will house shops, restaurants and a visitor centre and is predicted to create 2,000 jobs. The site will also feature restaurants, a home and garden centre, hotel, leisure centre, boathouse and a 1,300-space car park.
* Ramsar is the name of a town in Iran where the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was adopted in 1971.