THE outcome of the recent consultation on five opportunity areas in Northampton is still being analysed but the headline results have been released.
After the concepts for Northampton town centre regeneration were published by Northampton Forward in May, a proposal has been produced outlining five key areas – Marefair and Gold Street, Market Square, Greyfriars, Fish Street and St Giles Street, and Abington Street (Eastgate).
More than 1,000 people visited consultation events and a total of 742 people gave detailed written responses to the questionnaire.
Respondents to the questionnaire were asked a series of questions about what they would like to see in the town centre.
More than 82 per cent felt food and leisure uses should be encouraged in the town centre, many supported additional residential use – particularly in Abington Street -and a large proportion favoured more bars, restaurants and retail in Market Square.
Laura Graham, Chair of LiftNN, which includes representation from Voluntary Impact Northamptonshire, NHFT, GP Alliance and Northants Community Foundation, said “We are still at the start of a long journey towards a Northampton town centre that reflects the changing needs and wants of its community.
“I’m pleased that the people who engaged with the consultation have responded positively to the proposals and offered exciting ideas of their own. I’m looking forward to seeing the detailed responses from the public and ensuring they are reflected in the next stage of the regeneration planning.”
Cllr Jonathan Nunn, Northampton Borough Council Leader and chair of the Northampton Forward board, said: “The responses show that a reasonable number of people are uncertain about the proposals for some areas and haven’t felt able to say they’re either for them or against them.
“They clearly remain to be convinced, so all we can do is factor the comments we’ve received into a more detailed masterplan and see how that is received.”
Detailed responses are still being collated and a document outlining the results will be published in due course.