Well, where do I start? Nationally, it’s been a year marked by social change and economic uncertainty. Like the rest of Europe, we have continued to feel the aftershocks of turmoil in the financial markets, combined with the effects of public spending cuts. At the same time, the country has seen levels of unrest not witnessed for decades, ranging from public sector strikes to the shocking urban riots.

In the midst of these turbulent times, some may be surprised to hear that I think West Northamptonshire has actually had an excellent year. The area has continued to attract new jobs, with world class firms ranging from BMW to Carlsberg investing here. We have also seen new additions to the local landscape – a tantalising sign of things to come.

This includes the Becket’s Park Marina in Northampton, which was completed in the summer, and will be the centrepiece of a major mixed-use, waterside development. Plans for this area will breathe new life into neglected, disused land along the River Nene – something I know local people are eager to see.

These plans took big strides forward in 2011, with key parts the of the infrastructure puzzle slotting into place. This includes the approval of the Nunn Mills development road as well as completion of the London Road junction improvements. Most recently, our board approved the use of our compulsory purchase powers for the Avon and Nunn Mills sites – helping us to kick-start their long awaited redevelopment.

One of the largest investments in our history was announced in November, when we decided to invest £8million in the re-location of bus services in Northampton town centre. By supporting demolition of the infamous Greyfriars bus station, it will unlock the much anticipated expansion of the Grosvenor Shopping Centre. I know this scheme has been discussed for many years, but now the words are turning into action.

This is just a flavour of West Northamptonshire’s reasons to be cheerful after an important year. Elsewhere, plans for the transformation of Towcester town centre were approved by WNDC and the procurement of a development partner is well underway. Meanwhile, Daventry continued to flourish throughout 2011, defiantly bucking the national unemployment trend.

I think Daventry has witnessed one of the most impressive developments of any town in the Midlands, or city for that matter - after the stunning iCon Innovation Centre opened its doors in June. It is just the latest in a series of improvements to the town centre, which started with the Abbey Retail Park in 2009, and will be followed by further developments, ranging from a new central library to the WaterSpace scheme.

Put simply, 2011 was a year of immense promise, despite the gloom and doom spread by the national media. Personally, I’m looking forward to more of the same in 2012. Schemes we have progressed throughout the last 12 months, such as the Northampton Innovation Cube, will be close to construction, as we make regeneration of Northampton town centre our No1 priority.

I will sign off with some words from a young apprentice from our Construction Futures training scheme, which continued to go from strength to strength in 2011

‘I actually look forward to getting up in the morning and going to work. I’m taking pride in everything I do and feel like I’m learning all the time.’

I couldn’t have said it better myself and am looking forward to the next 12 months.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Related posts:

1. WNDC set to return planning powers to the Borough Council
2. Fresh future for rundown Northampton site
3. WNDC submits its future delivery plans to government
4. WNDC joins Business Alliance Group
5. New junction to help transform Northampton’s waterside