Agenda item

Report of the Director of Planning and Regeneration

1.      Following consideration of the report, approval is given for the consultation on the emerging strategy document contained within Appendix 1 of the report.

2.      It is delegated to the Director of Planning and Regeneration in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning andRegeneration, amendments to the document in Appendix 1, if required, prior to starting the consultation process.

Councillor Palethorpe welcomed the consultation process and commented that the report was an excellent piece of work. He believed that there was a need to build a town of a good standard for future generations and to cater for future needs of the population. He talked about the growth agenda of 35 years ago when planners had not considered the lifetime of the properties and that those mistakes were impacting on the present quality of homes. He commented that the people making decisions about Northampton should be able to look back with pride. He informed Cabinet that the Conservative Party would be engaging with the consultation.

Councillor Davies also welcomed the report. He believed that the improvement of roads, gateways and public transport was vital to the plans in order to allow people to travel in and out of the town. He also believed that the Spring Boroughs area must be improved however, not by the private sector, as there would still be a need for affordable housing. He commented that other areas of the town should not be neglected.

Councillor Clarke congratulated the Planning department at NBC for the document provided to the public about the plans.  He believed that the document was important for the future of the town and that the development would make a difference for people living in the town centre. He informed Cabinet that he was speaking on behalf of the residents living in the Spring Boroughs area and that they felt that housing was a serious issue within the area. They had asked for the 2016 deadline to be brought forward as they felt that the matter of housing needed to be dealt with before that date.

As the relevant Portfolio Holder, Councillor Church welcomed the comments from the public speakers and Councillors; he also congratulated the Planning team. He was pleased that there was a cross party consensus. He explained that the plans fell under the Joint Core Strategy and referred to part 2, page 13 of the report; the town was larger than some cities and the recommended changes would make the town feel like a city. It already had some city style facilities. The improvement of accommodation, retail and employment would be part of the city vision and cultural and heritage sites would be maintained to make the town a place to visit. He explained that the riverside was an area that could be capitalised upon.

He agreed that the mistakes of the past must not be repeated and that buildings should be built to make people proud. He would not want a repeat of the Greyfriars bus station. Sustainability and lifetime of the buildings was also important as well as the green agenda and the carbon footprint. Better roads and walkways were part of the plan and the river of Northampton, which had been previously ignored, would be developed as a place to live, work and visit.

Councillor Church believed that it was vital for the residents of Spring Boroughs to be consulted and involved with the action plan. He also believed that the retail development of the Grosvenor centre would play a vital role in the plans. He informed Cabinet that the plan would be shared with NBC’s partners including, NCC, WNDC and people who live and work in the town centre.

Attention was drawn to the consultation period, which would take place over 6 weeks beginning in August. On the 4 August 2009, there would be a media launch of the consultation and leaflets would be distributed widely to obtain as many responses as possible to the emerging CAAP. In particular the consultation would be targeted at involving hard to reach groups such as young people.

Councillor Paul Varnsverry suggested that landmarks, such as the gasholder at St. Peters Way be reflected in the proposed redevelopment plans and he referred to the successful gasholder development in Dublin.

It was noted that the due to the ambition of the CAAP, there was a need to get it right. The factor of improved transport links was a major factor and the need to break current barriers like Greyfriars. It was hoped that the consensus was to recognise the need to improve the town for the future and for future generations. Councillor Woods highlighted the fact that the improvement of the town would be the largest piece of infrastructure that needed to be delivered as part of the government’s growth agenda for Northampton and West Northamptonshire – and, indeed, Northamptonshire as a whole; therefore it needed to be done correctly. He also commented that cycle links throughout the town should be improved.

RESOLVED

1.                  Following consideration of the report, approval be given for the consultation on the emerging strategy document contained within Appendix A of the report.

2.         It be delegated to the Director of Planning in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Regeneration amendments to the document in Appendix 1, of required, prior to starting the consultation process.