WNC responds to Northampton's £12.4m Market Square fountain backlash, discusses washing up liquid concerns, and sidesteps cost disclosure

The council has confirmed that the new fountain at Northampton's Market Square has been completed, with the square itself is set to open this weekend to the public.

The extensive refurbishment project, which began in February 2023, includes new paving, water features, seating, improved landscaping, a dedicated events space, and 18 fixed stalls.

It's been a divisive topic already, with some Chronicle and Echo readers loving the new fountain and others questioning its need and cost.

Commenting, Councillor Daniel Lister, in charge of town centre regeneration at WNC, said: “It looks fantastic. It looks really good. Once it’s all going and all the jets are going and the lights are on, I think it looks absolutely brilliant. I think the comments in the Chron, once people get past the anti-council stuff, there’s a lot of positive comments coming through.”

During an interview with the Chron a WNC spokesman also addressed the criticism, saying: “I’d say [to the naysayers], you need to see it in its entirety. It’s got lots of different aspects to it. It’s different in the day than it is at night. Spectacular at night with all the LED lights and things. It’s been designed by people in Northampton, the stone sculpture elements. It’s not just an alien feature that has been put on the landscape. It’s a really thought-out scheme involving local people.”

The spokesman said children are ‘literally surrounding the fence’ waiting to play in the fountain. He said: “Kids are literally surrounding the fence, trying to get in at the minute, so that’s the whole point. It’s an interactive feature that kids will love to play with. The fountain has 70-odd jets that are really substantial, all lit up and going up to four metres high. I’ve seen them all around the country and they’re super popular. It’s for everyone. The whole point of it is anybody can sit there and enjoy it.”

Concerns have been raised about anti-social behaviour (ASB) at the fountain, especially as Northampton has a history with water fountains, particularly the 2012 saga where the Market Square fountain was found to contain legionella bacteria, followed by pranksters later putting washing up liquid into the water in 2014.

Commenting, councillor Lister said: “You can’t stop people doing silly things. Hopefully, there’s going to be a lot of people hanging around in the new market and enjoying the space, so that reduces the ASB. We obviously have the CCTV cameras and the lights. There’s a huge tank underneath the actual fountain itself, which gives a great dilution factor, so even if you pour lots [of washing up liquid] in there, the amount you put in versus the amount it will be diluted becomes very little anyway.

"We have anti-foaming solution on hand, so if anyone does put it in, we can put anti-foaming solution in which will kill it immediately. So there’s a combination of many things to take the foam away. Even if you put the whole bottle in, it’s unlikely to create that waterfall of foam. There’s filters that go through as well, which reduces the impact.”

The spokesman added: “That’s vandalism. We’ve got 24/7 [artificial intelligence] facial recognition software on the CCTV cameras, so we’ll be able to pick that up.”

The pair were both unable to answer the Chronicle and Echo’s questions regarding price breakdowns and how much was spent on the fountain and its future maintenance.

The spokesman said: "We know in detail what the costs are, but we’re going through a live procurement at the minute. It takes a while on a construction project to achieve the final account, so even when you finish physical works, there’s still a negotiation to go through. It won’t be for a while. The costs are still being determined. I’d say at least 12 months. There are no caveats. The information will be published when it is ready and when we’re able to.”