Northampton: Maturing into a 'Market City'

A major town in the East Midlands, Northampton has been quietly growing into an impressive place to live and work. Peter Mawson outlines the developments that are being carried out will putt the town on the map

There are few towns in the UK that currently offer more opportunities for development than Northampton. Currently it is one of the fastest growing locations in the UK, with over 40,000 new homes, hundreds of new jobs and major commercial development earmarked for the town.

There are many reasons why this is the case. Northampton's location makes it one of the most well-connected towns in the country. Situated at the centre of England, the town has excellent road connections north and south via the M1, west to Birmingham via the M6, and to the east the coastal ports via the A14. Both London and Birmingham are only an hour away by rail, and the town is within a one hour drive of four international airports.

Northampton has a long history of expansion. It was designated a 'New Town' in 1968, when the Northampton Development Corporation (NDC) was set up to almost double the size of the existing town.

Growth was slower than planned, with only around 20,000 new homes being built by the time the Corporation was wound up 20 years later, and this growth has since been criticised for providing poor quality housing, having little regard to the bigger picture, and ultimately being unsustainable.  

Northampton now finds itself in a unique and enviable situation. As part of the UK’s biggest growth area, and following the creation of the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC) in 2004, it has the opportunity to redress past failings. The decisions that have gone into the strategic approach have benefitted from careful consideration. Not only has the provision of schools, healthcare, quality employment, public services, green open spaces and community assets been considered, but also how people want to live their lives in Northampton and why others might want to come to or invest in Northampton instead of elsewhere.

Working with Northampton Borough Council, and with the three other local authority partners in the west of Northamptonshire, WNDC is seeking to deliver new standards of design and quality, stimulating growth that is well served by infrastructure and integrated with the existing community, to achieve sustainable development, providing new homes, jobs and investment for the area.

Northampton is already the UK’s third largest town, with only Dudley and Reading currently larger. The town has also seen huge growth, with its population doubling to 200,000 since 1961 and expected to reach 300,000 within the next 20 years. This will then put Northampton on a par with established cities, such as its close neighbour Leicester.

When this occurs, Northampton will effectively become a city in all but its name. As a result, those delivering growth to the town understand that they have to change the way people think about the town if they are going to succeed in transforming Northampton from an important market town into ‘The Market City’, a new concept of place.

Changing the psyche of a whole town is not an easy task to achieve. It is a crucial part of the process of expansion to take account of the population as you go. The local community has to start thinking as a city, and to see the benefits of behaving like a city, demanding ‘city class’ infrastructure and having higher aspirations for facilities, particularly in retail and leisure.

The core of any city is the city centre, and the core to Northampton as a market city will be no different.Millions of pounds have already been invested in a major revamp of the Market Square and the public realm throughout a number of its main shopping streets. The waterside of the River Nene provides one of the biggest opportunities and there are plans to transform this area into a southern extension of the town centre.

Meanwhile, work is already underway on a new marina at Becket’s Park, intended to improve one of Northampton’s many urban green spaces. The marina will offer 82 moorings, six of which will be for residential use, while the remaining berths will be available for short term visitors and pleasure craft requiring long term leases. Moorings will also be available for operators of commercial leisure boats, such as hire boats and water taxis. The marina will be accompanied by plans for a major mixed-use waterside development, with potential for 2,000 new homes, new landscaping, lighting, cafés and restaurants, while providing a busy, exciting link between the existing town centre and the waterside.

The Environment Agency is  responsible for designing, constructing and operating the marina, while Northampton Borough Council and the River Nene Regional Park are key partners in the development. The area has been identified as a key gateway to the Nene Valley and rural Northamptonshire, not only providing important leisure and recreational opportunities and facilities, but also supporting the local economy.

Construction of the marina began in February this year, with completion expected by March 2011. It will cost just over £2m, with WNDC the main funder, alongside substantial contributions from Northamptonshire Enterprise Limited and the Environment Agency.

The waterside area of Northampton has already seen significant investment, with the recently constructed European headquarters of Avon Cosmetics. This state-of-the-art building marks the fiftieth anniversary of Avon's being based in Northampton and is a huge vote of confidence in the area. The company first moved to the town in 1959 and it is a pride to both them and Northampton that they are now one of the town’s largest employers.

Another key regeneration plan is the redevelopment of Castle Station, Northampton’s rail link, to provide a modern gateway into the market city and another iconic building for the central area. Again, this development will be accompanied by wider mixed use development, including significant car parking, increasing the offer of the town centre.

The existing town centre has all the hallmarks of a rich chistorical heritage exhibited best in the spectacular Guildhall and the renowned All Saints Church. Meanwhile, evidence of Northampton’s time-honoured shoe and boot trade can be found in restored factory buildings round every corner.

The town also has an excellent tradition of arts, culture and entertainment. Renowned for its two adjoining theatres, as well as the cutting edge Fish Market Gallery, a specialist cultural quarter is being planned and will encourage businesses in the creative arts to flourish, while relaxed public open spaces will have cafés, restaurants and niche retail around them.

Becoming ‘The Market City’, with all the associated growth and change, does not mean that Northampton will forget its roots.
It has its own identity, which people can be proud of, and is a distinctive and unique place. While development is focused on Northampton growing into a city, retaining its individuality is of equal importance.

Northampton is going to grow, and the guide for that growth will be the aspiration to become ‘The Market City’. But this is about more than just the buildings, schools and shops that make a city; it is about the people who live there now and will live there in the future.

Peter Mawson is chief executive of the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation. Visit: wndc.org.uk