In 1968 Northampton was officially designated as a New Town. A Development Corporation was set up to substantially re-develop the town in partnership with the local council.
Expansion was mainly to the east and the south to accommodate new residents, mainly from the London area. In 1985 the Development Corporation was wound up having added 20,000 dwellings, 40,000 inhabitants and over 200 companies.
With the decline of the shoe trade and collapse of the steelworks, Northamptonshire has relied on its central location and excellent road network to develop the distribution industry. From the county it is possible to reach 85 per cent of the UK’s consumer market within the shift duration of a lorry driver.
Brackmills Industrial Estate, Northampton, comprises of some 3.9 Sq. Km of business premises such as industrial, warehousing and office space and is located on the south-eastern side of Northampton. The estate is home to over 150 companies and more than 11,000 employees.