Fresh vision for way forward for Daventry Town Centre adopted

 Fresh vision for way forward for Daventry Town Centre adopted

A fresh vision to enhance and improve Daventry town centre over the next 14 years continues to be adopted by Daventry District Council (DDC).

The Daventry Town Centre Vision 2035 sets out a variety of proposals for maximising the city centre’s potential, including the development of new leisure facilities and infrastructure in addition to improvements to public spaces.

Its overall aim is to create a green, healthy, vibrant, community-focused town centre that's digitally-connected and entrepreneurial, and respectful from the town’s history and heritage.

Developed by DDC and Daventry Town Council in consultation with town residents, local businesses and other stakeholder organisations, the aim of the Vision would be to set out a framework to steer investment and aid the town centre’s future development.

Councillors dicated to adopt the Vision at DDC’s final meeting of full Council on Thursday 18 March, and additional recommended the Vision be adopted by the new West Northamptonshire Council, which takes over the running of council services from 1 April.

Some of the proposals contained within the Vision include:

  • Building an alternative leisure centre with swimming pools, a sports hall and tennis courts in the Chaucer Way/Brook Street/Waterloo area, known as the North West Arc
  • Working with the owners of Bowen Square to remodel the region, creating more outdoor seating and event space, with a small reduction in the number of parking spaces
  • Improving landscaping and introduce new play equipment at New Street Recreation Ground while exploring leisure options including a café, public art, a splash play facility along with a multi-use games area
  • Redeveloping the Police Station and former Magistrates’ Court, and the current leisure centre site, to create two mixed-use developments
  • Redesigning Market Place to create a beautiful space that can be used for markets and events as well as for parking
  • Rejuvenating High Street and Sheaf Street by removing unnecessary street clutter, repairing and improving paving, and introducing architectural lighting and high-quality planting where appropriate
  • Exploring choices to remove or replace the canopy over Foundry Walk, and searching at the possibility of removing of the pagoda from the top of Sheaf Street to produce a multi-use events space
  • Creating a sustainable transport plan to set out the long-term approach to integrating walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure
  • Launching a town-wide e-commerce platform to support and lift the profile of local independent retailers.

The Daventry Town Centre Vision 2035 follows on from the 2021 Vision, which attracted around £50 million of investment into Daventry and delivered numerous schemes including the Abbey Retail Park, the iCon Centre, new education facilities off Ashby Road, and the Mulberry Place cinema and restaurants development.

Councillor David James, Daventry District Council’s Economic, Regeneration and Employment Portfolio Holder, said: “It is vital for the wellbeing and sustainability of Daventry, its growing community, and for the wider West Northamptonshire area our town centre thrives.

“We have worked closely with our partners at Daventry Town Council, in addition to with local residents, businesses and stakeholder organisations, to develop a Vision that is both achievable, ambitious which carries public support. We began with a blank page and it has been fascinating to determine people’s ideas developed once we have moved forward.

“The final Vision contains a lot of exciting proposals to serve the needs of our community and attract further investment to the town centre, and I’m confident that the new West Northamptonshire Council will be able to work with Daventry Town Council to deliver its aims.”

Councillor Lynne Taylor, Mayor of Daventry Town Council, said: “Daventry Town Council welcomes Daventry District Council’s decision to adopt the Vision and looks forward to working in partnership with the new West Northamptonshire Council and also the people of Daventry to meet the aspirations and aims of the vision.”

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