And we're back.

We promised an update many times over the last few months, and finally it’s here.

Contrary to what some hoped, the Northampton Urban Farm Project survives. No matter how many times we’re told ‘it can’t be done’, we’re yet to be given a reason why it can’t and certainly no reason why it shouldn’t. You only have to see the effect being around the animals has on younger kids to see that it's worthwhile – and that's only the beginning of what we want to do. It will happen if people work towards it.


It’s been a quiet year on the surface, but the year before was perhaps too hectic. Not that we’ve been resting on our laurels, there’s been plenty of work going on behind the scenes, but more of that in coming posts.

The project is now run by a new limited company and is building on the experience gained before and pushing ahead anew.

Over the next few blog posts we’ll review exactly what has been happening, hopefully answer the questions we're always asked, and wipe the slate clean, then we’ll begin a more regular series of posts from the team on farm matters.


We’ll begin then with the site we’ve been most commonly connected with - a derelict 4.4 hectare site behind the houses of Towcester Road in Delapre that we shall refer to as...


1. Evil Twin

The land is owned by an ever lengthening list of people – at least one of those (via an investor) was (and we assume still is) the development company intent on building there.

When it came to the developers, we slowly discovered the land owners were not at all united. And it occurred to us that it wasn’t only those living locally, and future residents, who were being given a poor deal on the proposed development.

Let’s not feel sorry for the owners though, a sudden inherited windfall of any kind isn’t something to complain about.


Some of those owners were adamant we could not use their land, others had indicated they didn’t want us to be there, but allowed and tolerated our events, and others had been willing to talk about us using it.

Interestingly, it was generally those owners with the land of least use to us, and hadn’t touched, that made the most noise.

At the end of the day it is their land, and they can do whatever they want with it within the law, but they can’t tell others what to do with theirs, or expect everyone to just accept their plans. Some might say it’s odd that they’d rather their land was unused and derelict rather than accept an income from renting it, but land is an odd thing.


Some of those owners who reacted unfavourably to the idea of a farm, adamant the site must be built on, came as a surprise – parish councillors, leading members of environmental groups, people living nearby… but I’m sure they had their reasons, and can explain if someone should ask.


Councillors quietly meeting the developers, or knowing them personally, or having a financial interest all emerged, but another local group led the fight against the poorly designed development, and they know more about that than we do.

[The residents of Buckingham Fields are still monitoring the situation, but it is understood planning permission has still not been formally granted, that the highway requirement has not been met, and that the WNDC have not corrected their decision to ignore planning law.]


There was one current councillor who declared he didn’t support the farm as it would ‘ruin plans’, but perhaps his colleague was right, and he did support us really.

We’ve been adamant from the very beginning that we will keep all politics at arms length – even adding a caveat to the company articles forbidding anyone being a member who is elected, or standing for election, to a public body. We’ll talk to anyone, we welcome their support, but we’re not here to be used.


Despite some agreement on its use, our tenure on the land would be difficult. We kept an interest, did what we could, removed huge amounts of dumped rubbish from the site, recorded where the hazardous material was, made some additions, and of course held very limited free events.
That the developer had not secured all the land, yet needed it all, gave everyone a glimmer of hope. It was worth looking into, and we learned much as we tinkered with the possibilities.

The land yet to be secured came in three packages. There was a family holding out for a better deal (who would sign when it was offered), land the developers had hoped no one would notice (which they hadn’t tracked down the owner of), and the only remaining family to use the land (who were not united in their opinion of what to do.)


With no other owner tending to the land for 20 years, one had grown used to grazing horses wherever they chose. This was necessary as they only owned a little over an acre, but had several horses and other animals.

The other owners didn’t like this, but the simple fact is, while all of them make a lot of noise, none of them are willing to take the action necessary to solve their problems.

Concerns were voiced about the conditions of the animals kept there and their motives by some, but we worked together with them as preliminary plans for the farm were made.

After an initial flurry of activity, progress ground to a halt and a protracted period of stalemate was reached over the site. With little we could do, meetings became scarce as we reorganised, and tasks were delegated.


After the summer, eager to regain momentum, it was agreed we would look again for alternative sites, temporary if necessary. It would be totally irresponsible to keep animals with no lease on the land, yet animals were the obvious next step.

Various options arose (which we’ll explain later) and other schemes to secure much of this site were tried. It seemed on the surface as if we were getting somewhere, and we even looked into purchasing some sheep, however the situation was actually about to take a sudden turn for the worse.


We first learned that our emergency option to keep the sheep on was no longer available, and our planned location wouldn’t be ready in time. Meanwhile, negotiations about a temporary site were abruptly cut off. We were now stuck, unhappily, on this Evil Twin site, with little option but to grind everything to a halt again.



Small items had been going missing over the time we were there, a large box of nails, occasional eggs, etc. but we let them slide.

We mentioned this on the blog before, but removed the sections on thefts as one reader took offence - assuming everyone would think it was her – accompanying the request to remove it with a threat to stab our then farm manager.

There had also been threats made to visitors when we held our events, the police attending on one occasion, but we brushed it aside as a clash of personalities.

But these were warning signs.


Shortly after our last event a number of chickens were found dead, and didn't show obvious signs of an animal attack. One was found barely alive in the coop with broken thigh bones, and internal injuries - an ex-chicken farmer thought it had been stamped on. As it couldn’t stand, for it to have crawled unaided into the coop would have been difficult.


It was decided by the members to cease our permanent interest in the land and concentrate on one possible alternative location. We moved to a more discrete part of the site to limit any friction and prepare to leave, but apparently this didn’t help.

When we eventually began to remove our equipment from the site we were threatened and warned to stay away. We then found the locks to the gates changed, making them the only ones able to access the site in vehicles. It was a month later before we could re-enter (through means other than the gates) where we found over £600 of equipment had been stolen.

This was reported to the police who spoke to witnesses. The theft had taken place during the day and one witness statement said a white flat-bed truck had driven onto the site, describing the man who led them to our equipment to be loaded up and taken away - the description was clear who this was.

Since then, more of our charities possessions have been taken, and visiting land-owners have been threatened and had arguments.

The police know the situation, and there will be investigations in the future on other matters related to the site, and what has been done, and still being done there. But this is all out of our hands and no longer our concern.

As a new limited company taking on the Northampton Urban Farm Project from the previous group, we do still have an interest in the site, and property on it – but that’s a story for another day, and for now, we have other plans to work on.


At one point we almost, accidentally, employed the legal team of another party involved in the land. They apologised for the mix-up, and we’ll let them have the final words for this chapter of the saga – ‘The only problem you’ll have with that land are the owners.’