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06 October 2022
Plans to relocate council services to new offices within Daventry town centre will be considered by councillors next week.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is pursuing plans to relocate from its current base at Lodge Road as part of proposals to use their current property assets as economically and efficiently as possible.
The move will bring together services more effectively for residents. This would include front-line teams like customer services, revenues and benefits, housing, adult social care and children’s services being based at a locality hub within the Abbey Centre in St John’s Square and is expected to save at least £200,000 a year in the Council’s revenue budget, which pays for the day-to-day running of services.
The relocation requires an investment of £2m to pay for work needed to renovate and refurbish the building to accommodate the council’s services alongside existing voluntary and community sector tenants.
This investment will have no detrimental impact on services, will be offset by the annual savings of at least £200,000 per year generated by closing the Lodge Road office and would also be recouped should the council sell or lease out the Lodge Road site in the future.
Cllr Malcolm Longley, WNC’s Cabinet Member for finance, said: “This plan makes financial sense, as it will enable us to make year-on-year savings whilst maintaining a strong presence in Daventry.
"With our offices currently under capacity, a review of our buildings is what taxpayers would expect. We will always seek to make savings, whilst protecting services and will do all we can to manage our finances prudently."
While the Abbey Centre is already more modern and energy efficient than the Lodge Road offices, with an existing solar energy array on the roof, part of the adaptation would be to install a more efficient heating, cooling and ventilation system.
The Lodge Road offices will continue to be part occupied for a limited period and WNC is working with existing tenants to make alternative arrangements. Future options for the site are being considered, including potential sale or lease to third parties for rental income.
The Cabinet meeting is set to take place at The Forum in Towcester from 6pm on Tuesday 11 October, and it will be live streamed via the council's YouTube account.
The agenda and reports can be viewed on the council’s website.
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Chief Fire Officer Darren Dovey has released his annual report for 2021/22, covering the last year for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.
In what is his final report ahead of his retirement next week, the Chief also reflects on the last three years since the governance of the Service transferred over to Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold.
The report reflects on the Service’s current financial situation, the work being done by crews both operationally and out in the community, and the efforts of the Prevention and Protection teams in driving down incident numbers through their preventative work and delivery of safety messages.
The Chief also outlines the future challenges the Service may potentially face, but says he leaves with Northamptonshire in a stronger position than it was prior to the governance change.
Darren Dovey said: “In the three years since, the country has been through the COVID pandemic, where NFRS not only had to continue to deliver its core services but also support the wider county response to the emergency; had its second HMICFRS Inspection and dealt with an unprecedented number of emergency incidents due to the driest year and hottest summer on record.
“This report will provide more detail on the last three years and these events. Despite the turbulent background, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has continued to improve the way it delivers services to the public and I firmly believe that I leave this Service in good shape to meet the challenges of the future.”
You can read the Chief Fire Officer’s Annual Report for 2021/22 here
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Two Ukrainian dignitaries visited Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service this week (27 September) to find out about the Service, how technology and innovation are improving our operational response, and to share our experience, knowledge and expertise in firefighter development and training and interoperability.
The Head of Poltava Fire Brigade and a representative from the EU Integration & International Cooperation Department in Ukraine first visited the Command Development Centre in Daventry where they experienced the high-tech centre for command and incident training and assessment and used the XVR to replicate realistic incident scenarios. They then headed to Mereway Fire Station for a tour of one of the new appliances and the Joint Command Unit.
The afternoon involved a visit to Chelveston where the visitors watched the recent cohort of transferee firefighters undergoing search and rescue hot fire training as part of their conversion programme upon joining NFRS.
GM Neil Sadler, Head of Joint Operations Team said: “We were delighted to welcome colleagues from the Ukrainian Fire Service and State Emergency Service to Northamptonshire this week and share information on how we are modernising, innovating and investing in our fleet and in technology.
“They were particularly interested in how our technological infrastructure has enhanced our interoperability and resilience at both a tactical and strategic level. The JCU offered the perfect environment to demonstrate this and showcase what is one of the most technically advanced emergency service vehicles in the country.”
Viktor Popruha, Head of local Fire Brigade, Bilytska community, Poltava region, Ukraine said: “We would like to thank Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue for hosting us in the UK.
“It was a great experience to learn about advanced technology solutions being used across the Service to improve command & control and situational awareness.
“We also learned about modern training techniques, and it was a pleasure to observe the firefighter training at Chelveston.”
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30 September 2022
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is pleased to announce that today it has exchanged contracts on the former BHS and Clinton units in Northampton Town Centre, marking the next jigsaw piece in the town’s regeneration.
Work will now begin on the transformation of the former M&S unit at 41 to 45 Abington Street and the adjacent property, the former BHS and Clinton buildings at 35 to 39 Abington Street.
WNC will work with a development partner to deliver the project, which will involve the demolition of the existing buildings and the creation of new mixed-use building consisting of residential on the upper floor with modern retail and leisure units on the ground floor.
Through the provision of additional residential, the scheme will bring increased footfall into the Town centre to support the existing retail offer within the wider town centre.
The first phase of the project on the former BHS property will see the large central building, measuring approximately 57,087 sq ft / 5,303 sq m undergo a full internal strip out and the removal of any asbestos containing materials.
This will ensure that the building is safe and secure and enable the council to bring forward the exciting regeneration project at the earliest opportunity.
These works form part of the Northampton Town Centre Masterplan (2019). The wider regeneration of Northampton Town Centre includes the Market Square redevelopment which will see this area become a cultural hub for the town centre, and public realm works in Abington Street and Fish Street which will see the area transformed with new paving, improved seating, lighting and landscaping, and public art installations.
Cllr Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for economic development, town centre regeneration and growth at WNC said: “We are delighted to celebrate this milestone in the regeneration of Northampton Town Centre.
"Ensuring that Northampton is a place where residents and businesses can thrive is a significant priority for us as a council, and the redevelopment of 35-45 Abington Street will transform this area for our communities.
"We look forward to completing on this building and beginning to shape the future of this area of the town, ensuring that it offers opportunities for businesses and residents alike."
Brendan Bruder, Abbeyross Property Consultants Managing Director and Northampton Forward board member, said: “This is a key site which will allow the delivery of more much-needed residential development in Northampton town centre.
“As respected businessman Sir John Timpson has said, ‘it is about providing new hubs and reimagining town centres, that’s the direction we should be going and not looking at how we can save what people call the high street today’. And he’s right.
"People’s shopping habits have changed drastically and the department store model is clearly no longer in demand. We need to do something much more creative with these spaces. Adding homes in mixed use schemes energises the town, creates places for people to live, shop, socialise and find the services they need in a sustainable way."
The acquisition of this building has been supported by the £9.7 million from High Street Fund which WNC secured from Central Government towards the wider regeneration of Northampton town centre.
To find out more about the regeneration of Northampton town centre on our website, visit our regeneration page.
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30 September 2022
The budget for a new 250 place school for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been given the go ahead following a full council meeting yesterday (Thursday, 29 September).
At the meeting Councillors approved the latest report on plans to convert an empty facility in Tiffield into a SEND school for children aged four to 18.
The unit will cater for children who are on the autistic spectrum (ASC) and have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), and those with severe learning difficulties (SLD). The plans come in addition to a £1.1 million expansion and the creation of 50 new specialist places at Hunsbury Park Primary School, which was given the go ahead earlier this year.
A proposal has also been submitted to extend Northgate School Arts College in Queens Park Parade, Kingsthorpe which caters to almost 250 autistic students.
Cllr Fiona Baker, WNC’s Cabinet Member for children, families and education, said:
“I am delighted that these plans have been approved and that we are continuing to take steps towards our goal to provide over 500 specialist school places by 2024.
“Tiffield provides a unique opportunity in terms of size and location and is situated where the need for specialist places is greatest.
“This means that families in West Northants will gain access to a facility built around the latest understanding of what’s best for children with ASC, SLCN and SLD and will provide them with a learning environment that will help them thrive throughout their lives.”
Following a consultation in May, qualified individuals and groups were asked to submit their proposals for operating the new school and in August, an assessment panel considered the proposals. Following their recommendations WNC informed the Department for Education (DfT) of its preferred operator.
The Secretary of State is expected to make a final decision on the operator later this year.