Will CBC be proactive in town centre redevelopment?

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In the last few years Northampton town centre has seen several renovation projects get under way including improvements to the Market Square which reopened recently after a £12m facelift, with new stalls, lights and paving.

Greg Norman from the Grosvenor Centre said: "The improvement projects were having a real impact on peoples perceptions. It's only the start, but people can see the upward trajectory that this path is tracking, and it is beginning to unlock the potential that our town centre so clearly has. We are now starting to realise different ways town centres can be used and that natural evolution has begun, with Northampton very much at the forefront of what a modern, vibrant 21st century town centre needs to be."

Kerry Reynolds from Metro Bank said: "Northampton has had a tough decade or so but we're on the way back, and I see our town being used as an exemplar nationally of how to regenerate an ailing town centre, giving it a new lease of life and meeting the demands of the modern consumer, business and resident."

Local businessman Naz Islam said: "The next few years have the potential to be hugely exciting for our town centre and I want to help make sure things are done right so that both shoppers and businesses have a town centre they want to visit."

Meanwhile a new £200k fund has been set up by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority for businesses, community groups and parish councils across South Cambridgeshire. The scheme aims to improve the look of High Streets, encourage people to shop locally and bring in more trade.

Councillor Peter McDonald, cabinet member for economic development, said: "As a council we are committed to breathing new life into our High Streets. This rejuvenation is about building a stronger more resilient local economy that reflects the heart of our community."

Whilst there have been some encouraging signs in our town recently with the opening of some new businesses, the elephant in the room remains the redevelopment of the Land South of the High Street And whether Central Beds Council will follow the examples of other nearby local authorities and being proactive.

For more information contact Gennaro on 01525 854273, LB First Facebook page or via Leighton Buzz Radio.