|
The majority of this employment growth came from financial and business services, accounting for 29,000 of these jobs, and the wholesale/retail sector with hotels and restaurants accounting for a further 27,000. An additional 6,000 jobs came from transport & communications. Within manufacturing, metals, minerals & chemicals, these industries saw a loss of 3,000 jobs during this period but this was counterbalanced by an increase of 3,000 jobs in engineering. Despite a move away from its more traditional industrial base, Northamptonshire has experienced an influx of new firms in expanding sectors such as transport & communications (and particularly telecommunications) and financial services. This new industrial mix is expected to keep the economic climate within the county buoyant over the period to 2010. Employment prospects reflect this pattern, with average annual growth rates in the more traditional industries in decline and those of the expanding industries on the increase. Northamptonshire will continue to expand during the decade and the county's population is expected to reach 652,000 by 2006. Looking ahead, total employment in Northamptonshire is forecast to increase by 22,000 between 2000 and 2010. This translates into an average annual growth rate of 0.8 per cent. SESAME Northampton currently has more international links than ever before. This is largely due to the town being a founder member of SESAME, an international network of towns and cities in 12 countries across the world. SESAME was founded in 1992 to promote trade and cultural co-operation between member towns and cities. Each town in the network is committed to helping small and medium businesses make contacts that will generate exports and investment. Every year an International Business Exchange (IBE) is hosted by one of the SESAME members to introduce local businesses from each of the member towns to potentially advantageous business contacts from across the world. The aim of the IBE is to encourage and increase export between the businesses of the towns and cities involved. The host town provides facilities, advice and accommodation for delegates and “matches” businesses in pre-arranged meetings to allow managers to meet and discuss opportunities for co-operation, import/export and investment. The SESAME towns are:
|
|
Twin Towns Northampton has extended the hand of friendship to two towns on the continent - Poitiers, in the south-west corner of France, and Marburg in central Germany. The twinning links have resulted in reciprocal visits over the years and the association is poised to take on even greater significance in light of the closer association being forged between the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. Both Poitiers and Marburg are now part of the monetary 'Euro Zone' this year but visitors to either town won't find themselves short changed. Poitiers is the capital of the Poitou-Charentes region. It is 200 miles south of Paris and lies close to France's Atlantic coast. The town's history stretches back to Gallo-Roman times. Its beautiful churches, palaces and cathedral are examples of some of the finest romanesque and gothic architecture. Its university, founded in 1432, ensured the town's reputation for cultural, intellectual and commercial excellence and that is continued to the present day. Marburg is situated on the banks of the River Lahn and is a town where time almost appears to have stood still, thanks to careful and sympathetic preservation and restoration of its historic buildings and environment. For hundreds of years, Marburg has been the university town of Germany and is home to art, philosophy and science. Marburg University can count nine Nobel prizewinners among its numbers, including Boris Pasternak (Literature, 1958), Robert Bunsen (Chemistry, 1855) and Emil von Behring, who established a major international pharmaceuticals company in the town. New Town Arguably the most significant event in Northampton's recent past was its designation as a New Town. The designation order was issued in February 1968, and in September of the same year the Northampton Development Corporation was established to implement the expansion plans. The corporation's remit covered the areas outside the borough boundaries, as they were at that time. Its programme included the development of the town's eastern and southern districts, including major roads such as Nene Valley Way and Lumbertubs Way (which now form part of the ring road) and employment areas. In the town centre, Northampton's County Borough Council was carrying out its own parallel redevelopment programme to complement the work of the Development Corporation. In 1961, the population of Northampton was 105,421. Just ten years later, and three years into New Town status, this figure had grown to 133,800. The Eastern district, the first area to be developed, was designed to provide housing for 45,000 people. Developments included new estates with shops, schools and community facilities, employment areas and the Weston Favell Centre, which became home to what was then Europe's largest Tesco superstore. In 1973, plans for the second phase of development - the Southern District - were unveiled. These covered land between the existing town and the then new M1 to the south-west. The original plans for the Southern District included the area which is now known as the South-West District. When complete, it will include more than 4,000 new homes and associated community facilities, up to 170 hectares of employment land and a new country park in the Nene Valley. This vast green lung will draw the countryside into the heart of the town, protecting the wildlife and special natural qualities of the valley. As well as more traditional leisure and recreational facilities, the park will contain extensive water areas. These will include the River Nene, the Grand Union Canal and the new Duston Mill Reservoir and lagoons formed from old gravel workings. The St Crispin Conservation Area covers 44 hectares and encompasses the buildings, gardens and magnificent parkland of the former St Crispin hospital which was built during the 1870s. The South-West District will also provide important opportunities for new employment in Northampton. Swan Valley Business Park, next to the M1 at junction 15A, is the largest designated employment area and covers 80 hectares. Spanning a total of 868 hectares, the South-West District is the last area of major development and will realise the completion of the original master plan for the expansion of Northampton. The Development Corporation was wound up in 1985 having brought 18,000 new jobs, 35,000 more people, 42 miles of new roads and 20,000 additional houses to the town. More than 200 new companies had moved to Northampton, both from Britain and abroad. Housing The town of Northampton has seen considerable housing growth, particularly since the 1960s when it became an expansion town. The population of the town has increased from 124,100 in 1961 to 200,000 in 2001. In order to provide homes to meet the needs and aspirations of existing and potential residents, and those of our children, a need for further housing in the borough still exists. The location and the type of housing provided are important quality of life issues. Locating new houses close to the town, district and local centres and employment will help people to shop and travel to work by walking, cycling or public transport, rather than using the private car. Not all new housing related to Northampton's growth will be located within the borough boundary. Northampton Borough Council will work in partnership with its counterparts in Daventry and South Northamptonshire District Councils to ensure that the release of sites within their districts does not undermine the objectives of government policy in ensuring that priority is given to the use of brownfield sites. Because of property prices on the open market, some local people may not be able to buy or rent their own homes. This may result in them being forced to move away from their families, friends and jobs to find cheaper accommodation, or to live in accommodation which is unsuitable for their needs. Northampton Borough Council is committed to negotiating with developers to ensure that those people and families on lower incomes are catered for in new housing developments. Riverside Plans are well advanced to maximise the potential of Northampton's riverside locations and enhance these areas with impressive new housing and leisure facilities. During the last couple of years, development has concentrated on Southbridge and the Cotton End area of town is rapidly changing face. To the east of Cotton End, primed by Single Regeneration Budget resources, almost 700 new homes have been provided and a significant number of these are already occupied. The development fronts the River Nene and will be connected via a new pedestrian bridge to the town centre. Following the Easter floods of 1998, new and improved flood defences are being installed as part of the area's development. To the west of Cotton End, stretching to the Towcester Road fly-over, the creation of a second major re-development site for the south of the town is imminent. Around 200 new homes, a pub/restaurant and a hotel/leisure facility are earmarked for development and once again this site will also benefit from SRB support. The SRB funds are a Government grant, administered by the East Midlands Development Agency and managed in Northampton by a town partnership scheme that includes the borough and county councils and Northamptonshire Chamber.
|
