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04 March 2024
Visitors to Northampton Town Centre can now access the revitalised paving at Market Square as the section connecting Abington Street to the Grosvenor Centre opened on Monday, 4 March.
The cobbles used as part of the transformation of Northampton’s historic market square have been retained from the previous paving where possible, and sympathetically restored to reuse as part of the regenerated space.
Visitors to Northampton Town Centre can now access the Grosvenor Centre from Abington Street alongside Market Walk as this section of completed paving at Market Square opens, which will help to provide increased connectivity to this part of the town.Councillor Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth at West Northamptonshire CouncilWe are delighted that the existing cobbles have been restored and retained as part of the regeneration works, which provide a nod to the square’s history. Working closely with our partners Stepnell, it is great to see the project progress and reach important milestones such as this.
Further progress has been made in February as the light columns for the site were installed and four of the permanent market stalls arrived and have been fitted. The remainder of the bespoke market stalls are due to arrive this month, which will be complemented by the semi-mature trees which will be planted.
The design, cladding and colours of the stalls compliment the surrounding rich heritage of Northampton’s Market Square. These stalls are a bespoke design with unique features, designed specifically for the needs of the Northampton Market traders. They are made of heavy-duty steel frames with robust cladding, which provides a sustainable and robust product.
To stay up to date with regeneration across Northampton visit www.wearenorthampton.com
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01 March 2024
The Government is minded to agree for West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) to carry over the unused capital allocations previously granted ‘to support and accelerate the council’s plans for transformation and efficiency following the 2021 local government reorganisation’.
It has widened the remit of what the ‘capitalisation direction’ can be used for, allowing the council to invest in further transformative projects to prevent, as far as possible, children falling into social care. In turn this will help to lower the cost of providing future services.
Last week WNC agreed a balanced budget for the coming year without needing to place any reliance on this support. Therefore, the Government’s confirmation that this £6.6m could be carried over is very welcome as it will mean new initiatives can be introduced to improve our children’s and early help offer and further reduce the cost of providing services over the longer term.
The council applied to The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) for what is called ‘capitalisation support’, which means certain costs can be funded using capital resources, rather than shorter term revenue resources.
The application was simply seeking to carry forward the support the council had been previously given but not used, and allow it to be used more effectively for the priorities it faces today.
“Capitalisation directions are sometimes used to deal with financial distress in local authorities, but this is not the case for West Northamptonshire.Council Chief Finance Officer, Martin Henry"We are proactively using all the tools available to us to invest in transforming services for the benefit of our residents whilst also seeking to reduce ongoing costs going forward, which automatically leads to greater financial sustainability.”
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01 March 2024
More than 800 motorists have been warned about flouting road restrictions at a congested Northampton junction in the first month of enforcement measures to help keep traffic moving there.
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is issuing 844 warning notices to drivers who have blocked the hatched yellow box at the junction of St John’s Street and Victoria Gardens since enforcement cameras went live at the start of this month (1 February). No Penalty Charge Notices have yet been issued.
During the first 17 days of the scheme, 597 warnings were issued, averaging around 35 per day. The end-of-month total of 844 warning notices shows the number of offences is falling, to around 29 warnings per day.
The measures have been put in place to help reduce town centre traffic congestion after the Department for Transport (DfT) changed legislation to enable local authorities to apply for powers to enforce against moving traffic contraventions.
During the first six months of this site going live, a warning notice will be issued for first offences to any vehicle, and from 1 August onwards, anyone who breaches the rules at this site will receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days. Any money from future PCNs is ring-fenced and will be put back in to funding highways services and projects under the legislation.
Figures show that despite town centre diversions potentially causing additional traffic along St John’s Street, the majority of those drivers facing warning notices for blocking the yellow box were travelling away from the town centre on the Victoria Gardens gyratory system.
On 16 February, WNC also introduced enforcement at two other sites with the following number of warnings currently being issued:
- Right turns are not allowed from Fishponds Road into Great Billing Way – 812 warning notices
- Hermitage Way is a bus only route which is routinely used by other motorists – 88 warning notices
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01 March 2024
This is an increase of 60 places from the previous year, with 95% of families having secured a place at one of their three preferred schools, a slight increase compared to last year. 76 per cent of applicants (3,682 children) secured a place at their first choice school, 14.2 per cent (689) of pupils secured a place at their second preference school and 4.8 per cent (230) of pupils at their third preference school.
Families who applied for their secondary school place online and within the deadline of 31 October will receive an e-mail offer today and are able to check their offer on the council’s online Admissions Portal.
Cllr Fiona Baker, Cabinet Member for children, families, and education at WNC said:
“Secondary school is the start of the next step in a young person’s education journey and will help with their development to adulthood. Their years at secondary school will provide them with a wealth of new experiences, skills and knowledge so it is great to see that 95% of applications have been allocated a place at one of their three preferred schools.”
All applications have the right to appeal (through the independent appeals process) if they have been unable to secure a place at one of their higher preferred school options.
The next round of secondary school place allocations (for late applicants) will take place in April / May.
Primary school places will be announced on 16 April.
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27 February 2024
The main construction works to redevelop Abington and Fish Street, Northampton kick-started on Monday, 26 February.
West Northamptonshire Council is working with Kier to carry out vital works to enhance the appearance of Abington Street and Fish Street. Over the coming months they’ll be installing new paving and seating, additional trees and planting to boost the landscaping in the area.
Kier and WNC continue to liaise directly with businesses in the area to keep them up to date on the progress of works. As part of this, there will be a dedicated single point of contact for businesses throughout the project.
The redevelopment will complement the wider regeneration of the town centre, including the Market Square transformation, and provide enhanced connectivity with the rest of the town.
We are delighted that the main construction works on this significant project to one of the busiest shopping streets in our area have begun.Cllr Dan Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth at WNCEssential preparation and investigatory works have taken place since September last year, however, people will now be able to see the main works taking shape.
Once complete this winter, the revitalised area and enhanced features will offer a fantastic space for people to use and enjoy. We look forward to this taking shape in the coming weeks and months.
Investigatory works were carried out in September to gain an understanding of all services connected through Abington and Fish Street, with preparatory works carried out in autumn last year.
We are pleased to begin the main construction works that will transform this shopping district and deliver substantial economic and social benefit for the people of Northampton and the wider West Northamptonshire area.Peter Ingram, contract director at Kier TransportationWe will be working together with West Northamptonshire Council on this vital project to ensure we leave a positive footprint in the area and bring new life to this town center.
To stay up to date with the regeneration of Northampton Town Centre, visit: www.wearenorthampton.com
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