Northamptonshire Arc

Northamptonshire Arc Proposed Outcomes and Strategic Priorities

Outcome: Transformed connectivity

Strategic Priority 1 – Support the opportunities provided by the HS2 proposal to secure better inter-city connections.

Strategic Priority 2 – Secure a minimum of two fast services (with journey times of less than 40 minutes) per hour from the Northamptonshire Arc to London on both the West Coast and Midland Main Lines.

Strategic Priority 3 – Better rail connections and reduced journey times to

Birmingham, Manchester and other major centres.

Strategic Priority 4 – Optimise the potential benefits provided by the connections to Eurostar services.

Strategic Priority 5 – Utilise the potential provided by new technology and other measures to secure better reliability on the existing strategic national road network which connect the Northamptonshire Arc with other areas.

Strategic Priority 6 – Secure investment and improvements to the strategic road network to support economic growth in the Northamptonshire Arc.

Strategic Priority 7 – Gain recognition for the A34/A43/A45 between the M4 and A14 as an “infrastructure gap” in the strategic national network.

Strategic Priority 8 – Deliver improved reliability and resilience on the Northamptonshire Arc road network by utilising a package of measures, including new technologies.

Strategic Priority 9 – Improve the Northamptonshire Arc (urban and inter-urban) road network where this is needed to support economic growth and as part of comprehensive approach which also incorporates investment to support public transport, low carbon modes and ‘smarter choices’.

Strategic Priority 10 – Secure support for and implement a Northamptonshire Arc Mass Transit urban and inter-urban network (NAT).

Strategic Priority 11 – Ensure that major growth locations provide connections to and support the Northamptonshire Arc Mass Transit network.

Strategic Priority 12 – Identify and deliver the first ‘pilot’ phase (subject to funding) of a Northamptonshire Arc Mass Transit network by 2013.

Outcome: Leadership on climate change and biodiversity

Strategic Priority 13 – Support ‘low-carbon growth’ through reducing the impact of development on climate change.

Strategic Priority 14 – Establish and support a new multi-functional strategic

Biodiversity Corridor with linkages to the main towns.

Outcome: A stronger and greener economy

Strategic Priority 15 – Secure, target and deliver investment in schools to raise attainment, improve performance, widen opportunity, support economic growth and strengthen their role at the centre of local communities.

Strategic Priority 16 – Identify and implement measures to ensure that Northamptonshire becomes a leader in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related activities and sectors.

Strategic Priority 17- Make Northamptonshire a compelling business case for next generation digital connectivity.

Strategic Priority 18 – Support high-performance engineering and motorsport

industries in Northamptonshire and the role of Silverstone as the focal point for automotive and high technology excellence in the UK and worldwide.

Strategic Priority 19 – Ensure that Northamptonshire is an exemplar for construction based innovation and delivery of low-carbon growth.

Strategic Priority 20 – Support the economic growth of Northampton to enable it to become a powerful and growing regional centre.

Strategic Priority 21 – Focus attention to regenerate Northampton’s central area to enable it to become the commercial, cultural and retail heart of the Northamptonshire Arc and the focus for new employment and other economic activity.

Strategic Priority 22 – Support the key growth centres of Corby, Daventry, Kettering, Towcester and Wellingborough and the important role of other towns, particularly Rushden, in relation to their regeneration plans and ambitions.

Strategic Priority 23 – Support activities to bring forward employment sites and ensure that the town centres in the Northamptonshire Arc are the focus for much of the new commercial and employment-related development.

Appendix B: Draft Consultation Response

Background

This response to the NCC consultation on the Northamptonshire Arc concept, as set out in the ‘Background Report’ dated April 2010 is made by Daventry District Council (DDC). Daventry District is the largest district in Northamptonshire, comprising 256 largely rural square miles with around 75,000 residents. The town of Daventry is the largest settlement with around 25,000 residents; it has since the 1960s undergone planned growth which continues today under the terms of the East Midlands Regional Plan/MKSM Strategy. Under the Emergent Joint Core Strategy for West Northamptonshire it appears likely that significant urban growth will also occur within the District but associated with Northampton (this should not be taken as indicating that the Council supports such an allocation).

General Response

DDC strongly supports the Northamptonshire Arc concept as set out, and agrees almost entirely with the approach taken in the Background Report and, in particular, with the Strategic Priorities. The shortness of this response, which is an inevitable consequence of the high degree of agreement which exists, should not be taken to imply any lack of endorsement.

The District Council particularly supports the:

Specific Issues

There are a few issues on which DDC believes some additional thought is required, or where it would wish to see an adjustment in emphasis or the inclusion of further specific items. These are set out below, but the list should not be taken to detract overall support for the Arc concept.

Strategic Priorities 1-4 (rail service enhancements)

Whilst the District Council supports these objectives, it should be extended to include the desirability of opening a small number of additional stations on the West Coast Main Line through the county (which currently has no stations at all) once capacity is made available by the opening of HS2. These would enable faster access to a range of destinations including London and Birmingham from Daventry and a range of other places in Northamptonshire.

DDC also notes the potential for the rail network within the county to provide some local transport needs, particularly if “tram train” or similar approaches are successful in UK usage and as the advanced ‘in cab’ signalling systems are rolled out, increasing availability capacity on existing track.

Strategic Priorities 6 and 9 (road network capacity)

It is noted that these Priorities cover similar ground, but only the second addresses explicitly the tension with carbon dioxide production. It is suggested that the Priorities are merged, and that explicit reference is made to the need to ensure that road investments are focused on mitigating impacts of traffic on local people (for example, by providing the Flore-Weedon bypass) and minimising the overall increase in road traffic so as to minimise global warming and other environmental impacts.

Strategic Priorities 10-12 (Northamptonshire Arc Transit)

In the context of these proposals, the District Council particularly welcomes the inclusion of Daventry in the core NAT network. It would also noted that given the difficulties posed by the A45/A5 junction it might be appropriate to use Daventry – Northampton as the NAT ‘pilot’ section. This may be facilitated by the availability of some planning obligation monies arising from the Monksmoor development recently permitted by the Secretary of State.

In the subject of connectivity to the NAT network (Strategic Priority 11), the District Council notes the importance of good quality walking, cycling and local public transport connections and draws attention to the suitability of Daventry to further develop these, including the potential use of advanced (automated) transport solutions.

Strategic Priorities 13 and 19 (low carbon growth)

In the context of these proposals, the District Council notes that Daventry is well placed to support this aspect of the Arc agenda, through the iCon and also its engagement with advanced (automated) transport solutions, including the European Union NICHES+ programme.

The District Council also reiterates its support for the Resources Recovery Park concept at Daventry, subject to the important quality issues it has previously outlined.

Strategic Priorities 15 and 16 (education)

In the context of these proposals the District Council draws attention to the importance of the delivery of high quality secondary and further, and ideally higher, education in the town of Daventry to address existing issues and support sustainable growth. The County Council as local education authority is an active partner in the Daventry Learning Partnership together with Moulton and Northampton Colleges and William Parker and Danetre Schools, and indeed has recently submitted an expression of interest for a ‘Baker Academy’ in the town. The final Northamptonshire Arc document should make explicit reference to this need.

Strategic Priorities 19 and 20 (role of Northampton)

Whilst the District Council supports these objectives it does so with reservation. The role of Northampton should not be taken to a level such that it undermines the economic (including retail), cultural and social roles of other towns in the Northamptonshire Arc, including Daventry.

Specific Projects within the ‘Transformational Agenda’

The DDC looks forwarding to working with NCC on those projects which particularly affect its District, including 9 (NAT), 12 (Daventry to Northampton improvements including the Flore-Weedon bypass), 15 (Daventry urban transit), 19 (Biodiversity corridor), 21 (iCon) and would be pleased to do so on 22 (off-site manufacturing for construction) and 24 (next generation broadband and utilities).

The District Council would also strongly support the inclusion of the following as integral parts of the Arc concept, and would be pleased to continue to work with NCC and other partners on them:

Both of these are natural means of addressing important Arc themes, and are locally relevant to Daventry.

More generally, it is clearly important that the Arc projects are not wholly focused on transport but address the full range of services needed by the affected communities. DDC would be pleased to continue to work with NCC on these, which locally include enhanced library provision and the example of NCC’s Children & Young People’s service having a better base through being co-located with DDC services at the Lodge Road offices in Daventry.

Other Issues

It would be helpful if the Arc documentation set out explicitly how it is envisaged the Arc will benefit the whole County, including the rural areas which are not part of the Arc area.

Given the various authorities’ duties (including those of NCC) under equalities legislation and their own policies, it would be desirable for the final Arc statement to address the potential for differential impacts of the proposals and outline how the Arc would help address inequalities.

Lastly, it is understood that the Arc concept is intended as an expression of corporate policy of NCC and the other organisations which adopt it, and not formal planning policy. However, the intended relationship between the Arc and formal Local Development Documents for North and West Northamptonshire would benefit from clarification. It seems to DDC most appropriate to view the Arc as an expression of community vision, analogous to the Daventry Masterplan, and thus as a contributory factor to the preparation of Local Development Documents. In this way it would perform a similar role to the Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS), and indeed NCC might wish to consider adopting it as a annex to the Northamptonshire SCS.