A vision of growth

With its central location and excellent communications, Wellingborough is a growing and attractive market town, full of historical character that is well poised for growth.

The borough’s 2020 Vision sets out the aspirations that the town has and what it seeks to achieve through further growth over the next 10 years and we are currently looking for partners to help us realise our vision. At its heart, this strategy seeks to build upon the economic success of Wellingborough over the past decades whilst recognising the need to improve the image, perception and profile of the town.

There are several overriding objectives of the Vision. Creating the right environment to attract higher value jobs is a key aim, while also broadening the employment base to open up a wide range of new opportunities. Providing more shops and higher quality public realm, civic and leisure facilities in the town centre is also planned. The Vision also aims to set the scene for major private sector development and enhance the town’s existing historic assets, and in general, promote Wellingborough as a place where people are proud to live, work and play.

The Wellingborough 2020 Vision focuses on a plan of around £200m of physical regeneration projects that will bring forward the level of change required to meet the community’s aspirations and improve the quality of life for all. The plan will help to deliver inclusive and sustainable communities delivering a clear approach to urban design and high quality public realm in Wellingborough.

It will help to address the community’s needs, improving the quality of life for all through wider opportunities, better facilities and an enhanced environment. Above all, it will ensure the long term economic viability and commercial future of the Borough.

The recession has unquestionably increased the imperative for attracting new jobs and investment to the Borough. However, Wellingborough’s residents would like to see some fundamental improvements that pre-date the added challenges presented by the current economic climate. These are:
- Better employment prospects and an increase in higher skilled opportunities
- A better town centre with improved shopping and leisure facilities
- Better schools and colleges to boost levels of qualifications
- Better housing options for all

Agreed with partners and produced in consultation with local residents and businesses, the Wellingborough 2020 Vision fully supports and shares the aims of the Wellingborough Partnership Sustainable Community Strategy as well as the borough council’s strategic priorities encapsulated by its PRIDE objectives – Making Wellingborough a place to be proud of: Promoting High Quality Growth; reducing crime and anti-social behaviour; increasing young people’s life chances; delivering efficient and responsive Services; and enhancing the environment. Much work has already been completed on far reaching plans for the future of the town centre. Working with the North Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit and following extensive consultation with residents and businesses, Wellingborough’s Town Centre area action plan was assessed and duly approved by the Government in July 2009.

The plan puts forward an ambitious strategy to deliver a major expansion of retail floor space, together with high quality housing, cultural and community facilities. It balances this with the need to conserve the town’s historic assets which shaped its character in the first place.

The council has produced a number of supporting documents for its vision: a public realm strategy, conservation area appraisal and shop front and advertisement design guide have already been adopted as of March 2009. These documents provide the basis for the first phase of public realm projects in the town centre and further work to assist with the protection and enhancement of the architectural character and historic fabric of the town centre. These projects are the focus of more than £2.7m of investment from the Government’s Growth Fund, which supports the delivery of infrastructure in growth areas.

In addition to the Public Realm Phase One delivery, funding will deliver the first phase of infrastructure necessary to bring forward the development of a High Street development site.

This six acre site, bordered by the High Street, Jackson’s Lane, West Street and Oxford Street is immediately to the north-west of the town centre core and will form the first phase of the regeneration of the town by providing scope for a mixed use development of housing, office and retail units. Future proposals exist for a second phase of redevelopment around the Market Square and Church Street providing approximately 15-20,000 sq ft of additional retail floor space including a landmark anchor store, a remodelled Market Square with Ideas Store and a pedestrianised environment along Church Street.

To improve the town’s image and help conserve the feel of traditional shop frontages and listed buildings, a Heritage Shop Front Improvement programme will be actively developed to restore Wellingborough’s Market Town appearance. The creation of a Cultural Quarter within the town is also being explored and will be centred on the Castle Theatre and Wellingborough Museum – another key goal of the Town Centre Area Action Plan.

The town has historically depended on manufacturing, which has since been supplemented by significant investment from the logistics and financial services sectors attracted to Wellingborough’s competitively priced accommodation and central location. Wellingborough is now looking to diversify its economic base, to attract and create a range of new employment in a variety of creative, technological and vocational fields.

There is a growing foothold in the creative and digital media industries, with local companies pioneering new internet technologies. As such new enterprise and start-up businesses of this nature are supported through the development of a range of modern employment sites and premises as well as increased support for local people to learn the higher level skills required for better paid jobs.

Using a partnership approach, the Wellingborough 2020 Vision will advance a series of projects and initiatives. A high quality business park will help cluster environmental and service industries, providing accommodation for more research and development facilities and stimulating better links with higher education institutions including the University of Northampton and Tresham College of Further and Higher Education.

The development of an office quarter around the station – ‘Main Street’, will help to draw national and international companies can reduce their cost bases and have fantastic access to London, Europe and the rest of the country. Meanwhile establishing a business improvement district for the town centre to provide additional and improved services for local businesses.

Implementing a place making marketing and communications strategy to improve the reputation of the town and attract future residents, new companies and encourage greater numbers of people to shop in the town. Finally, in terms of education, bringing a new higher education campus within the town centre and access to university learning for North Northamptonshire.

The long-term and lasting regeneration of Wellingborough, including the transformation of its town centre, will be driven by the new housing development that is planned for major sites located on the periphery of the town, including the Stanton Cross urban extension. Planning permission has been approved for this mixed use, urban extension which will increase the size of the town by some 30 percent.

The schemes will incorporate open spaces, parks, shops, restaurants, schools and community centres and a percentage of each development will be affordable housing. They will create whole new communities that will function as neighbourhoods in their own right but also integrate with the rest of Wellingborough.

The borough council is working with the local delivery vehicle, North Northants Development Company and land owners to ensure new roads, schools and other essential infrastructure are in place so that these expansion areas are brought forward to the benefit of all residents and businesses in Wellingborough.

To promote the development of high quality homes, the borough council is working with the Homes and Communities Agency to advance better energy efficiency ratings and meet national standards set by the Code for Sustainable Homes.

There is also the potential to pilot eco-home demonstration units on developments such as Stanton Cross so that prospective home buyers can better understand the benefits of such methods of construction.

To find out more about the Wellingborough 2020 Vision and development opportunities available visit: wellingborough.gov.uk/2020 or contact the growth and development team on Tel: 01933 231985 or by email: growthanddevelopment@wellingborough.gov.uk