Crucial CPO inquiry gets underway

An inquiry into a vital Compulsory Purchase Order for the largest site in the Northampton Enterprise Zone will start next week.

Led by West Northamptonshire Development Corporation, the CPO has been launched to unlock a major mixed-use development at the Avon Nunn Mills site. The public inquiry will start on November 13 and is expected to run for around two weeks.

Covering 20 hectares of brownfield land along the River Nene, Avon Nunn Mills includes a disused factory owned by Avon Cosmetics as well as a former power station owned by Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon. The proposed CPO also covers some land in unknown ownership, which is required for a new road through the site.

Chris Garden, WNDC’s Director of Regeneration said: “Avon Nunn Mills has huge development potential and benefits from a high profile waterside location. However, it has been largely derelict for several years now due to the failure of the market, as well as complex land ownership and infrastructure issues. The CPO will help us overcome these barriers and secure landmark development in the Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone."

Encompassing a series of brownfield sites, the Enterprise Zone is encouraging commercial development in a range of sectors, including high performance technologies. Construction is already underway within the zone, including a £20m bottling plant for Carlsberg UK.

To support the regeneration of Northampton, Avon Nunn Mills is one of two sites in the zone that WNDC has launched a CPO for. The other proposed CPO covers 2.4 hectares of land further upstream known St Peter’s Waterside. It will be subject to a Public Inquiry later in the month, commencing on 20 November.

Both Inquiries are open to members of the public and will be held at Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton. The Avon Nunn Mills Inquiry takes place from 10am to 5pm on 13 November, and 9.30am to 5pm on all subsequent days.