AFTER lengthy negotiations, the council has agreed to sell its landholding around 40 acres) to developer Northants LLP, subject to satisfactory Section 106 agreements.
AFTER lengthy negotiations, the council has agreed to sell its landholding around 40 acres) to developer Northants LLP, subject to satisfactory Section 106 agreements. Section 106 agreements set out ways that a developer will mitigate the impact of a development, including provision of affordable housing and infrastructure.
Although the scheme in its entirety consists of 3,000 homes and includes shops, schools, a nursery, offices, a health centre, a community centre and parks, the sale of this land allows the first phase of the project to go ahead, which would result in around 1,500 new homes.
Last year, the council granted planning permission for the £115m Appleby Lodge business park to the west of Wellingborough, consisting of 200,000 sqm of employment space that could bring 2,500 jobs to the area. The developer, ProLogis is in the process of discharging conditions on the planning application and work on the first phase of the development could start in the next few months.
Stanton Cross received another significant boost in the form of £9 million – secured by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) as part of the county’s Growth Deal. The investment will help to fund a new road bridge over the Midland Mainline railway to really push the development forward.
All in all, Northamptonshire’s Growth Deal, negotiated by the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP) has secured £67.3m from the Government’s Local Growth Fund to support economic growth in the area which aims to bring forward an additional £40m investment from local partners and the private sector. This investment package is planned to create at least 2,000 jobs and allow 3,000 homes to be built. This funding boost is excellent news for Wellingborough and will help to facilitate the following local projects:
• A provisional £15million investment to build a bypass for Isham to reduce congestion, especially at peak times and enable new housing sites to be developed.
• £11.4million has been provisionally awarded to Tresham College to redevelop their Wellingborough campus. When complete, the new campus will provide opportunities for up to 1,000 young people and adults to gain the training and skills they need for employment or university. It will become a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) centre, and will also offer subjects including construction, hair and beauty, computing, health and care, and art and design. A digital skills academy will also be established.
Planning consent was granted February of this year for the £16 million Church Street campus redevelopment, which will see the construction of a three-storey building to house teaching, workshop, salon, dining and administrative accommodation. In addition, approval was given for associated landscape and infrastructure works, including a 23 space car park, 10 motorcycle spaces and 30 bicycle spaces.
Details of the confirmed Northamptonshire Growth Deal can be found at www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/local/120m-growth-fund-for-northamptonshire-rubber-stamped-by-government-minister-1-6335270