Businesses on Brackmills have been urged to secure the estate’s future and vote yes to renewing its status as a Business Improvement District (BID).
Since first voting to become a BID 10 years ago the Northampton logistics and business estate has seen a record drop in crime, a significant investment in roads and a dramatic improvement to the estate’s environment, look and feel.
Businesses have been pooling an annual levy for the last decade to fund these improvements on the estate – and are now being invited to vote again, to develop the estate into the UK’s premier business and logistics park over the next five years.
At an event this month more than 40 businesses heard from Chief Superintendent Mick Stamper who told delegates: “Safety and security is a collective effort. We need to continue working together to prevent crime on Brackmills.
“Pre-BID, in 2003, around 230 crimes were reported but by 2011 Brackmills had dropped to an all-time low of just 56. Pre-BID crime and anti-social behaviour was rife and there were issues with travellers and encampments.
“Should you choose to vote yes we stand ready to continue to work with Brackmills in partnership and carry on this excellent work.”
Towards the end of last year employers on the estate completed detailed BID surveys, which formed the basis of the BID’s five-year (2019-2024) business plan for the estate – based on business feedback and the priorities they identified,
Investment that will be delivered on the estate if the YES vote goes through is as follows:
- Infrastructure - £735,000
- Crime prevention and safety - £628,000
- Environment and image - £215,000
- Business growth and investment - £194,000
This business plan, based solely on the business feedback, will be voted on in March 2019 – when businesses are encouraged to vote YES for a third five-year term as a BID.
Sara Homer, BID Executive Chair for Brackmills, said: “In 2008 Brackmills was a decaying industrial area, one of the top targets for criminal gangs for theft of and from lorries, an area littered with cars, muddy verges and road hazards resulting in fatalities.
“As a BID we have worked together to achieve a lot and it is very easy to take what we have now achieved for granted. However, we have now reached a point where we have a strong platform from which to move Brackmills into the future and provide the perfect location for businesses who seek growth and who aspire to the highest quality of service and product deliver for their clients.
“A BID can only last five years, so please look out for the ballot papers which will be in the post mid-February and make sure you tick the box that says YES to create a location which is the envy of your competitors and is respected by your clients.”
Find out more about the estate’s Decade of Change by visiting https://www.brackmillsindustrialestate.co.uk/decade-change