Council pushes to force sale of land
THE sale of private land surrounding a £17 million development site in Towcester will be pushed through by South Northants Council, if plans for a compulsory purchase order are approved by the authority's cabinet.
Current negotiations to buy plots of land next to Moat Lane are ongoing with more than a dozen landowners, but a report into the regeneration has suggested the "incentive" of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) is vital to persuade landowners to sell and allow the work to go ahead.
A CPO is effectively a legal right which would give the council the authority to buy land, even without the consent of the current owner.
Head of corporate services for SNC Kevin Lane said the Moat Lane scheme, which will see a boutique hotel and shops as well as office units built in the town centre, would be put in jeopardy if the CPO was rejected.
He said: "It would mean that the project objectives would almost certainly not be achieved as there would be reliance on either negotiated acquisitions or, where this could not be achieved, the willingness of landowners to utilise or develop parts of their land in a way that is consistent with the overall masterplan, something which is almost impossible to enforce."
There are 37 plots of land which the council needs to buy in order for the Moat Lane masterplan to go ahead. Currently, 17 have been purchased by SNC and "detailed negotiations" are ongoing with 15 more, with the owners of five plots still unidentified.
Mr Lane said the CPO would help speed up the process of ongoing negotiations. He added: "There is currently no incentive for private owners to complete disposals and there is a risk that negotiations could become increasingly protracted or be delayed.
"By making the order the council hopefully will further incentivise owners to sell."
The regeneration will centre around the historic Bury Mount, a scheduled ancient monument which dates back as far as the 11th century. Once built, it will include cafes selling local produce, a microbrewery, new flats and town houses, and a new civic building.
Approval of the CPO is expected to be granted by cabinet next week.
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