The new development could see the expansion of Northampton

A government study has said the houses should be built by 2031, but some residents believe the county would become an urban sprawl.

Protest group STOP, Stop the Over- development Plans for Northamptonshire, has gathered the petition's signatures.

It will hand it in at the start of the five-week hearing in Northampton.

'Population boom'

The inquiry on the expansion starts on Tuesday at Franklins Gardens in Northampton.

It will be chaired by a government-appointed inspector who will consider the effect of expansion on transport, the existing communities and the environment.

The proposals have sparked alarm among some residents who want to force a rethink on the numbers or, at least, elicit guarantees that facilities will be in place to cope with a "population boom".

STOP is also campaigning against the creation of a "linear city" joining up Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and Northampton, and the threat posed by the outward expansion of Northampton on historic nearby villages.