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Council and police moving out of Kettering centre

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Published Date: 22 June 2009
By Staff Copy
Police and council officers have backed plans to share a new office complex.
Kettering Council agreed on Wednesday to work with the police to look for a site for joint offices as part of its Suite 16 plan.

The council plans to build shared backroom offices on a new business park to act as an incentive for other businesses
to join the site.

A council planning department official said: "We want to support new business parks and we recognise that the council and police can act as a catalyst."

They refused to confirm which sites they were considering but council leader Jim Hakewill denied they had decided on the site of the former scrapyard on the A14.

He said: "We have looked at the former scrapyard location and I don't think it's completely ruled out but naturally the owners have their own ideas about what may be located there. They are quite far advanced, and with our plan to act as a catalyst for bringing businesses to a new business park it doesn't look so suitable."

The stated reason for sharing the offices is to make savings, but the planning official said that reason was "subsidiary to the main aim" of stimulating business interest in the district. The official said the council was committed to keeping the customer service part of the council in the town centre.

Cllr Hakewill said a new customer service centre, which might also include partner organisations like the Inland Revenue, county council and the voluntary sector, would be a few yards from the current Bowling Green Road site.

Cllr Mary Malin, who is in charge of the Suite 16 plan, stressed that the police would also keep police services in town centres.

She said: "Police stations will not close down. They will resemble our customer service centres. They might even be in libraries like in Rothwell."

The council expects the study into the site, which will cost the council and police £7,500 each, to report back within six months and the move to be completed within five years.



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  • Last Updated: 22 June 2009 8:23 AM
  • Source: Northants Evening Telegraph
  • Location: Kettering
 
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1

stokes,

kettering 22/06/2009 09:16:09
will rothwell library be open 24 hrs then ? will there be a free bus service to this new council site then? how is there money for this and open air theatre's but not for improving sports facilities in kettering?
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thegoodoldboysfromsaga,

22/06/2009 10:46:49
" Report back in 6 Months " "Move completed in 5 years" That will really stimulate business into the area !!! what happens for the next 5 years....Typical there is slow, dead slow & KBC ! In 5 years Corby will be so far ahead of Kettering that Corby people will have second homes on Warkton lane!!!!!
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Wishful thinking,

Kettering 22/06/2009 14:46:17
Great, what a positive improvement, I don't think. Make the council and police even less accessible to the general public - those paying their wages and for their services. Absolutely ludicrous, what is wrong with where they are now? More of the tax payers money down the drain. And what about Bobbies on the beat? Surely if they are based out of town then more vehicles will be needed, meaning more of a drain on resources and there will be fewer patrolling where needed. They have enough of a strain as it is, response time is terrible from our experience and absolutely nothing is done about smaller non-emergency problems as it is so with the extra drain on time surely this can only get worse.
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thegoodoldboysfromsaga,

22/06/2009 15:56:57
A plan called " Suite 16" ! so orginal.....whats the plan for regenerating the Town " Kettering, Kettering where the **** is Kettering " plan yeehah bring it on Hakewell !!
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SBKET,

Kettering 22/06/2009 17:09:13
For what good this will do the boriugh, perhaps they can all squeeze into Room 101
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Vic Mackey,

Kettering 22/06/2009 19:08:18
Glad I didn't vote for these Tories.
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bounty,

Barton Seagrave 22/06/2009 19:25:28
I'm never quick to support the Borough council and as I have discovered first hand they cannot be trusted and will happily join in council bashing where it is justified, but I must admit this plan makes some sense. As long as they learn from the mistake the ET made which was they no longer have a town centre office in Kettering.
The Borough council must maintain a full contact centre that can be easily accessed by everyone in the centre of Kettering.
The police cells in Kettering are no longer used as all the crims' get sent to corby so reopening the old style police houses around the Borough also makes sense - Seem to remember the police authority being advised not to sell them in the first place - and correctly manned, leaving the main building somewhere on the major road network. When you think about it moving the fire station somewher closer to the main road network would be a good idea as well.
Ask yourself this how often do you need to see someone in council finance or democratic services, when was the last time you visited the main council chamber? most folks never go past the contact centre - which very well run, but then it would be as no cllr is involved - and thats the bit that MUST remain in the town centre at all costs.
Actually they could set up smaller centres in rothwell and Burton Latimer as these changes are made.
yes it needs a concrete plan but this will probably work.....if the right people are involved, and thats where it might fall down
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Mark Winspear,

Kettering 23/06/2009 02:02:44
This move flies in the face of regular KBC utterances on supporting town centre trade.
At a stroke this will move hundreds of workers away from the town centre - when what the shops need is MORE workers IN the town centre to generate weekday trade - NOT more flats which are empty all day whilst the shops are open.
So many towns are becoming dormitory towns, but it sometimes seems KBC is determined to go one better - by creating a dormitory town centre. Doh!
9

bounty,

Barton seagrave 23/06/2009 08:24:28
Mark makes a valid point and all the comments underline what a delicate balancing act this will be.
Trouble is the council office is no longer suitable for its purpose, everytime I go in a wall has moved or a corridor has appeared.
Talking to police officers its a similar story at their kettering station.
Whatever happens it won't be tomorrow and Mark is correct that KBC need to stop talking about supporting put town centre and start acting on their claims.
Its difficult but a long term solution is needed. The current buildings no longer fit their purpose.
Maybe we need to take a leaf out of Corby book and have something like the cube - a point of contact right in the centre of corby, with a fresh and modern building.
Hey its an idea.
anyone else got a good solution to this problem?
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John Kellett,

Kettering 24/06/2009 19:34:15
Can I make a few suggestions before anything too fixed gets decided.
The responsible solution would be to provide a sustainable low energy building within the town, there are plenty of suitable sites. For example, the corridor along Northfield Avenue from the station to the Poppies ground is an ideal location for sustainable development.
Re-using existing buildings is also a good sustainable approach, correcting any functional issues with the existing buildings could easily be possible. As a chartered architect I've been refurbishing buildings to bring them up to current standards for many years now. "Eco-refurbishment" is a very cost effective solution in our changing climate as it minimises the 'carbon footprint' of development.
The 'town hall' is the only remaining building occupied by the Grammar School and as such is of special historic interest to the town and is, I believe, being considered for listing by English Heritage. To demolish either building is a waste of resources. How about re-opening the Grammar School in it's old home, for example.
The idea of creating a stimulus to inward investment is a good one and if I was fortunate enough to be able to set up an office I would rather be in town with all the facilities rather than stuck out on some god-forsaken 'business park', they are not usually the best place to run a small business from. Business Parks on 'out of town' sites are better suited to very large HQ buildings NOT police stations and council offices.
The above principles of sustainable development should be applied to the whole 'Suite 16' development concept, the tacky little fake 19th Century buildings shown in the publicity material released to date are unsustainable solutions as well as badly designed. Perhaps the Council should commission better consultants.
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