£310,000 project that seeks to establish Corby as smart and green town begins

A £310,000 project which is seeking to establish Corby as a smart and green town through connected and clean technologies has begun.

This is the first time that all the details relating to this project, which is funded by the UK Government through the Towns Fund, have emerged.

As part of the Corby Towns Fund, North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) will install 15 air quality sensors across the town to detect and report on pollution levels, alongside 25 traffic monitoring sensors.

The air quality sensors will collect data which will be stored on a publicly accessible digital dashboard.

Residents will be able to see live air quality levels and it is hoped that the results will encourage more residents to use low carbon modes of transport when accessing the town.

The data collected from the traffic monitoring sensors will help NNC to look at and design future infrastructure across the town.

The sensors will identify popular routes, areas of congestion and opportunities to improve movement around Corby - particularly important as the town grows and diversifies.

Cllr David Brackenbury, the council’s executive member for growth and regeneration, said: “Corby is one of the fastest growing towns in England, with plans in place which will see this growth continue and the town reach a population of over 100,000.

“With this growth comes challenges for the town centre and it is important that we do all we can to manage this, alongside the impact on highways and infrastructure.

“To develop an effective response and plan effectively requires insights into how the town, and especially the town centre, is functioning.

"This is where the new sensors come in. The data collected will be invaluable as Corby continues to grow and attract new residents - all with different needs and habits.”

Cllr Jason Smithers, council leader, said: “Alongside helping manage growth, it is important that we look at the impact on the climate and air pollution levels in the local area.

“This data will also allow us to see what the consequence of this growth is on the environment and in turn look at more active travel options to help mitigate the impact in future.

“The aim is to achieve an increase in journeys to the town centre via net zero carbon modes, eventually moving towards net zero carbon emissions and to contribute towards making a green town centre.”

This is one of two highways projects delivered as part of the Corby Towns Fund and will be delivered prior to the Corby Station Link route, which is due to start construction later in 2024.

Works to install the sensors are planned between the beginning of April and May 2024 and plans have been put in place to minimise the disruption to residents while the works take place.

According to the council, traffic management may be needed at certain times/points.

Any data collected is encrypted and deleted once journey times have been calculated and all data collected will not be used for any other purpose.