Corby Towns Fund public engagement event feedback
In September 2022, North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) asked members of the public and key stakeholders to share their comments on the proposed plans for pedestrian and cycle routes between Corby town centre and the train station.
The Town Centre to Train Station link road and Smart and Connected Corby are two of the four projects within the Corby Towns Fund which NNC was awarded £19.9m from Government to deliver.
The projects are in the early stages and concept designs were drafted as part of the feasibility study. As part of the process, to ensure that residents were fully involved and that the final routes will be suitable for the needs of the local residents, as well as future proofing the area.
NNC asked residents and businesses to share their thoughts and provide feedback on the plans, before further engagement and consultation takes place later in the project. No designs have been confirmed at this stage and the final design is due to be confirmed later in 2023, at which point there will be a full consultation.
All comments that were received during the engagement period have been reviewed, analysed and will help shape the process and final designs going forward.
What happens next?
Following the engagement period, a series of recommendations will now be taken forward, which include reviewing safety concerns, providing clarity around costings and consideration of alternative accessible access.
Common themes raised from the engagement period will be incorporated into the concept designs. This will be followed by a business case update in March 2023 and the publishing of proposed amends to the projects to the public.
A formal consultation on the final designs is expected to take place in Autumn/Winter 2023. Until this point, designs can be amended and comments from the public will be taken into consideration.
Does the money from Government have to be spent on these projects?
Yes. In September 2019 it was announced that Corby was selected as one of over 100 towns to take part in the government’s new ‘Towns Fund’ initiative, the government pledged to invest £3.6bn to unleash the full economic potential of over 100 places.
The Town Deal Board was set up in line with government guidance to be the vehicle through which the vision and strategy was defined. The Board continues to inform each stage of the Town Fund.
North Northamptonshire Council was delighted to be awarded £19.9m through the Town Fund in June 2021, which is ring fenced for one of four projects:
- Sixth Form College at Chisholm House – Chisholm House, will be re-purposed and renovated to be a carbon neutral building using the latest innovative technologies to bring this ground-breaking and modern building to the heart of the town centre. It will attract 16- to 18-year-old, young adults from the surrounding Northamptonshire area. Work will start onsite in January 2023 and will be complete in time for the start of the 23/24 academic year.
- Multi-use Building – Located in the town centre area, this project is for a multi-purpose facility to provide permanent new accommodation for a modern Arts and Community Centre, as well as meet the identified demand for creative, media and the third sector uses. It will help to increase trips, pedestrian flows and spend across the town, and will improve the town’s overall permeability. This project is still in its infancy and further updates will be provided on this throughout 2023
- Corby Station Links – will look to improve the public realm and provide an attractive and safe pedestrian/cycle connections between the town centre, Tresham College and the train station along the southern route of Oakley Road. It will connect the station directly with the Chisholm House and the Multi-use building projects and make a significant contribution to the active healthy travel agenda and help to reduce congestion and emissions across Corby. An application seeking an additional £3.5m from Levelling Up Fund has been made to deliver the Town Centre to Train Station Link Road project. This amount will compensate the shortfall from the original application to the allocation for this project *.
- Smart and Connected Corby – This project seeks to establish Corby as a smart and green town centre through harnessing connected and clean technologies. Using the latest connected and smart technology will enable us to monitoring flows of pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, shoppers, and visitors to understand the present and predict the future.
* The Levelling Up Fund is designed to invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK. The fund focuses on three investment themes: local transport projects that make a genuine difference to local areas; town centre and high street regeneration; and support for maintaining and expanding a portfolio of cultural and heritage assets.
