Major Northampton Railway Station redevelopment 'could be another bus station fiasco', warns councillor
Plans to redevelop Northampton railway station could ‘repeat the mistakes of the town’s bus station redevelopment’, councillor Sally Keeble has warned.
The Labour councillor, who represents Dallington Spencer ward and is a former chair of Northampton Rail Users Group, has raised concerns ahead of West Northamptonshire Council’s planning committee meeting next week.
The committee is due to decide on major proposals to redevelop the 7.2-hectare Castle Station site off Black Lion Hill, led by Network Rail and its development partner BlocWork LLP. The plans include a new six-storey multi-storey car park with 854 spaces, a 100-room hotel, and up to 280 flats., with 35% designated as affordable housing.
Planning officers have recommended the scheme for approval, describing it as a “modern gateway” to Northampton that would make better use of the land and support regeneration.
However, Cllr Keeble is not convinced. She said: “This is the most important strategic public transport site in town, and we must get it right for the future. The station should provide good access to top quality rail services for the travelling public. It should also provide a focus for public transport development for the future.”
She warned the plans will deliver a “worse deal for rail users” and block the development of a rail-bus interchange at the station – something she described as “of strategic importance for Northampton.”
According to Cllr Keeble, the proposals will:
- Box in the station with new buildings, ending any chance of a rail-bus hub.
- Move the taxi rank from beside the station to the far end of the site, by St Andrews Road.
- Reduce the number of parking spaces and move the car park further from the station.
- Fail to bring improvements to the St Andrews Road junction, increasing congestion at rush hour.
She added: “The station is vital for the growth of Northampton. There’s a pressing need for a proper interchange with bus and coach services, and better access for car users.
“Previous plans for the station included a bus-rail interchange next to the station with lifts up to a multi-storey car park that would have a covered walkway to the ticketing hall.
“More housing is always important. However Castle Station is just that – a station – and the transport needs of passengers and rail services should take priority. The housing could be provided further along the site, which would also be a more suitable location.”
She added: “Our town has already suffered from the bungled redevelopment of the bus station. We cannot afford to have a train station redevelopment that destroys our chances of getting an integrated sustainable transport hub that would play a major role in our town’s revival.”
West Northamptonshire Council planning officers said: “The development is intended to breathe new life and activity into a currently underutilised and uninspiring key location in the centre of Northampton.
"The plans have illustrated how a high-quality, mixed use scheme could be delivered that would provide a positive regeneration of this important gateway to the town.
"Crucially, the project has also been led to make Northampton more sustainable, providing enhanced facilities to encourage more people to travel by train helping to reduce the associated congestion and emissions across the area.”
BlocWork, the developer, said in planning papers: “The redevelopment and regeneration of the station site is a long-held aspiration of all parties involved in planning for Northampton’s economic, social and environmental future. The proposals would realise a long-held vision and ambition.”
Developers would contribute to local services, including £2.6 million for education, £411,000 for NHS facilities, £72,000 for libraries, and £3 million for open space and sports improvements.