Council denies ‘secret plans’ to promote industrial units near Northampton’s sports grounds
THE leader of Northampton Borough Council has insisted the authority has ‘no secret plan’ to promote the construction of industrial units and offices next to the Cobblers and Saints stadiums.
Yesterday, a document was published on the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation’s (WNDC) website which showed seven sites in the Sixfields area highlighted as possible future locations for ‘light industrial, general industrial or research and development’ purposes.
The sites included land next to the Sixfields stadium, which has been earmarked for retail redevelopment for a number of years, and a car park used by the Saints where it is planned to build an Asda supermarket.
The documents, which were commissioned by Northampton Borough Council, came as a shock to both the sports clubs and the leader of the council, Councillor David Mackintosh (Con, Rectory Farm).
Speaking to the Chronicle yesterday, he said he had not seen the documents before they were presented to him by this newspaper, but confirmed they were put together last month during the early stages of plans to turn the Sixfields area into a Government-backed ‘enterprise zone’, where the development of high performance engineering industries would be promoted.
He said: “This document is just a first draft and things are changing quite fast at the moment.
“Until recently, we thought retail development was precluded in the enterprise zone, but we now know it can be an active part of what we want to see there.”
It is not known exactly what kind of development is currently planned for the land around the Sixfields stadium, but proposals in the past have included shops, a hotel and housing.
As part of talks on the future of the area, Councillor Mackintosh held a meeting with Cobblers chairman, David Cardoza, at the Guildhall yesterday.
Following the meeting, Councillor Mackintosh reiterated his point that the documents showing the land around the club’s stadium earmarked for possible industrial use did not mean the council would stand in the way of retail development.
He said: “This is all part of the technical side of the work we have to do for the creation of the enterprise zone.
“It doesn’t suggest this would be a preferred option of the council and it’s not us saying what we would like to see there.
“Nothing has changed because of this. It’s just part of the technical process we have to go through. There is no secret plan.”
Mr Cardoza also said that he remained confident that he had the council leader’s backing for the club’s vision of how the land around the Sixfields stadium could be redeveloped.
He said: “The plans showing the land used for industrial purposes is not the way I see it and it’s not the way the leader of the council sees it, which is more important.
“We’re working very well with the council on our plans for the area and things are very positive.”
The Government backed the creation of the enterprise zone in August last year.
Businesses will be attracted to the area by a relaxation of planning laws in the area and tax breaks.
It is believed the document which was published by the WNDC yesterday is part of the move to relax planning laws in the enterprise zone by highlighting areas where high performance engineering firms could be encouraged to move.
But as the council has been keen to point out, just because the sections of land have been identified as possible locations for industrial use, it does not mean that is all they could be used for.
The final uses of the land will be determined by what the land owners want to see there and what planning applications come forward for them.
The enterprise zone is due to be officially launched on April 1 this year.
A LARGE section of land in Northampton town centre could soon be bought by the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC) using its compulsory purchase powers.
The organisation has revealed plans to buy up the land which runs along the side of St Peter’s Way from the Carlsberg brewery to the town’s railway station.
It is hoped the purchase would help the WNDC redevelop the area, which is part of the town’s planned enterprise zone.
In a report which will be seen by the WNDC’s board next week, the organisation’s director of regeneration, Chris Garden, said: “This waterside area has the potential to become an important business location, attracting new companies and investment to the town.
“Its redevelopment will breathe new life into the area and transform under utilised brownfield land.
“As part of the Northampton enterprise zone, it will provide high quality office space in the centre of Northampton, supporting the creation of new jobs for local people.
“And combined with the planned redevelopment of Castle Railway Station it will form an impressive gateway into the town centre.”
Part of the site close to the railway station is land which was previously occupied by both St Mark’s Church and the Maltings building, which were both controversially demolished in 2007. The site is now owned by London based company Messlorne Llp.
The WNDC has said the company bought the land at the height of the property boom and hoped to redevelop it, but “redevelopment proposals appear to have since been abandoned in the present uncertain economic climate”.
In an attempt to redevelop the land, the WNDC has made offers to buy the site, but so far without response.
Mr Garden said: “We have attempted to negotiate, including by making a financial offer for the full amount of the open market valuation, together with a commitment to pay fees.
“Despite chasing, no substantive response has been received in the six months since the offer was made. There, therefore, appears to be no reasonable prospect of securing the site by negotiation.”
The section of land the WNDC plans to buy also include a full street of houses in Tanner Street, close to the town’s gas towers.
If the WNDC agrees to push ahead with the compulsory purchase plan, it will be the second time it has used the power since being set up in 2004. A final decision on the move will be made by the WNDC’s board on February 15.
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Comments
There are 9 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Slashgrind
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 07:01 PMHMMMMMM was only last month that we were reading that the conservative borough council changed the location of the skatepark ... as they were "un aware" 2 weeks before it went to final planning of the redevelopment of the nunns mill area........ seems a recurring theme !!! or more like they dont know their R's from their elbows !!
AbingtonAll
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 08:30 PMSeems logical enough. These areas were used for industry in the past, so it makes sense to continue to use them for ‘light industrial, general industrial or research and development’. That land use brings jobs, without screwing over the town centre. That said, the evidence on the success of the enterprise zones in the 1980s is far from compelling. They were a very expensive mechanism for delivering new jobs and often just moved existing jobs around.
Pam Varnsverry
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 08:21 PMNational Planning Policy and the Local Development Framework working in partnarship with the land owners will decide the use of the land around Sixfields not NTFC who rent a stadium from the Borough Council. There was a clear intent to have the retail shops sited along the Weedon Road corridor heading past Upton thus serving the expansion of the town and not putting Eric Pickles,The government Minister for communities town centre first policy at risk. NTFC appear to have missed the boat with regard the Hotel which could have been built in their car park. This area of town is well blessed as a leisure and light industrial part of northampton given our excellant links to the motorway and the train station. There have been previous attempts to arbitrally overturn the due planning process, they failed.
AbingtonAll
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 08:19 PMSeems logical enough. These areas were used for industry in the past, so it makes sense to continue to use them for ‘light industrial, general industrial or research and development’. That land use brings jobs, without screwing over the town centre. That said, the evidence on the success of the enterprise zones in the 1980s is far from compelling. They were a very expensive mechanism for delivering new jobs and often just moved existing jobs around.
Comment Removed
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 05:30 PMIf Mackintosh is the type of person who would stab one of his own colleagues in the back, then why would he think twice about doing the same to Cardoza?
Finker
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:00 PMHardly secret plans if they have been published. Development plans suggesting how land is used are normal. Seems clubs are getting quite a lot of Council time and doing whatever they like or spitting their dummy if they don't get the responses they want.
Tabasco kid
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 11:09 AMShould sites 1 and 3 be used, that should put paid to the sixfields car parks. Should sites 5 and 6 be used, there will be a lot of 4x4 parked in the side streets.
Common sense
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 10:59 AMI hope Mr Macintosh isn't living in a Conservative bubble---he should know what's going on and its his responsibility to know whats going on.
Common sense
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 10:51 AMThe Leader of NBC should know whats going on in his patch--I hope he doesn't live in a Conservative bubble and has met the WNDC and other organisations
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