Plans to rejuvenate and grow town centres on Executive agenda
Growth, plans and policies13 January 2026
Following a review of town centres across North Northamptonshire, and the recent approval of the council’s Corporate Plan, the council’s Executive will meet next week to discuss the development of a masterplan for Wellingborough. It is proposed that a similar plan for Kettering will follow - highlighting the council’s commitment to economic growth across North Northamptonshire.
Before a final decision is made, a review of four growth town centres (Corby, Kettering, Rushden and Wellingborough) has been undertaken by an independent, external company. The review looked at existing data, site visits and assessing each of the towns and identifying opportunities and constraints for sites and town centre initiatives. The recommendations in the report are based on the conclusions drawn from assessing the data and opportunities and follows a rigorous review of the four towns.
The results show that Wellingborough offers the biggest scale and opportunity for developing a masterplan when looking at factors including existing assets, opportunities and lack of recent external funding investment.
A key delivery action under the council’s new Corporate Plan is to “help improve town centres and provide support to help them reshape what they have to offer.” This work is the first step in achieving this. Given the number of town centres in North Northamptonshire, and to ensure quality plans are developed, the report proposes the development of two town centre masterplans successively, with further phases of development to be followed for towns including Rushden and Corby, subject to available budget.
As a council, we support the regeneration of town centres across North Northamptonshire - something that is highlighted in our new corporate plan.Cllr Jan O’Hara, the council’s Executive Member for Planning and Economic Growth
As part of a phased plan for all our town centres, we are looking to positively influence development through initiatives including the development of masterplans and leading by example.
Following the independent review by external specialists on the topic, Wellingborough has been identified as the most in need, currently, for a masterplan for various factors including having the most significant market indicators and the strongest opportunity for transformation. We are fortunate in North Northants to have so many great towns, but this does present us with the challenge of how we embark on work to regenerate town centres. We have approached this decision based on data, need and outcomes for North Northamptonshire residents and are committed to lead by example.
Whilst we are proposing to support Wellingborough and Kettering first, we remain committed to working with local partners, including our local town councils who are doing fantastic work, to encourage growth in all our town centres - helping towns to adapt to changing habits.
The results of our recent residents’ survey showed that the regeneration of high streets across North Northamptonshire is a priority for residents.Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council
I hope this report shows that we are listening and starting this work - leading by example to help further investment in town centres.
Importantly, if a town has not been selected in this first phase, that does not diminish our commitment to work with partners and the relevant town council on local regeneration opportunities.
If the Executive report is approved, a plan will be drafted to outline the long-term vision for Wellingborough town centre to help with future development and investment.
A series of stakeholder sessions will then take place before a report is brought back to the Executive.
North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will meet on Tuesday 20 January at 10am at the Corby Cube and the papers are now available online. The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube.