For towns to grow and flourish, they need a strong backbone. That’s why WNDC prioritised core infrastructure in its early years, providing a springboard for a bigger and better Northampton.
Much of this work was through the ‘Brownfield Initiative’ - a joint effort by the local authorities, English Partnerships and WNDC to breathe new life into former landfill sites at Sixfields, Harvey Reeves Road and Ransome Road.
Over £25m was invested by WNDC to clean-up the land and create a series of new road links across the south west of the town. This included Edgar Mobbs Way, Upton Valley Way North and the Sandy Lane improvements. The cash injection also helped Northampton to boast some of the best flood defences in the UK. The Upton Flood Attenuation scheme was completed in 2008 - a decade after Northampton had suffered notorious and fatal flooding. Not only did the work safeguard the town against future disasters, it meant quality development was possible along Northampton’s forgotten waterside.
“Together, Northampton's infrastructure improvements have laid the foundations for a resurgent town.”
As well as heavy hitting infrastructure, the Corporation supported smaller projects to make Northampton easier to get around. This included boosting capacity at key transport gateways, such as the St Peter’s Way roundabout and the London Road/Ransome Road junction. Additionally, it backed efforts to make Northampton a walkable town. Safer, more pedestrian friendly streets were created on the route from Northampton Railway Station to the town centre. Once it opened in 2009, the revitalised streetscape along Black Lion Hill, Marefair and Gold Street was celebrated in style with a lively street party.
Despite all of this progress, even more improvements are on the horizon, which will continue to be led by the local authorities. This includes a new transport link on a disused railway line bought by WNDC within the Northampton Enterprise Zone.
