DAVENTRY EXPANSION - HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS!
Date Posted: 8/4/2008
Daventry Expansion – Hold on to Your Hats!
Daventry is embarking on another major period of expansion, to the delight of those wanting to see growth of the local economy and the prosperity that comes with it but to the dismay of the fully signed up members of the ‘let’s keep our lovely market town exactly as it is’ club.
Daventry has been somewhat uninspiringly identified as ‘a sub regional centre under the Milton Keynes South Midlands Sub Regional Strategy’. Not a sexy badge for the town to wear, but the reality is much more interesting.
The town is targeted for major expansion and regeneration, to grow to a population of 40,000 by 2021 with significant investment in infrastructure, new homes, new employment parks, etc.
The town centre is due for a massive transformation to extend the range and quality of the shopping facilities and work started in March on the eastern end of Abbey Street where Ashford Developments are constructing about 62,000 sq ft of retail floor space and a new Working Mens Club. Other town centre redevelopment proposals include Primrose Hill (to the north of High Street); a revamp and extension to Bowen Square; and two other sites on the western edge.
It is envisaged that the combined effect of these town centre schemes will reduce existing ‘leakage’ of retail spending, to say Northampton and Rugby, which has been a feature for many years, principally because Daventry has always refused to have out of town retail facilities. Somewhat shortsightedly, in my view, as within a ten minute drive you can find superstores with lots of free parking on the periphery of other urban areas.
On the northern edge of the town centre, there are even more ambitious plans to form a series of linked water spaces with access from an extension of the Grand Union canal. These new marinas will be a focal point for surrounding public open spaces, leisure and residential developments.
Outside the town centre, primarily to the north and east, large areas of land have been allocated for new housing – 6,200 new dwellings in total. A business park is proposed off the London Road, near Burnt Walls ancient monument, and further employment land is allocated to the north west. A total of 106 acres has been identified for B1, B2 and B8 development, and this can accommodate nearly 2 million sq ft of commercial and industrial floor space.
Inevitably there will be some disruption and upheaval during the various construction programmes but if you welcome the intended growth of the town then these are indeed exciting times.