More than £2 million has been secured for the future of Brackmills – with businesses voting YES to a third term as a Business Improvement District (BID).
The Northampton estate, thanks to its status as a BID, has been able to fund dramatic improvements on the estate for the last decade. These have helped turn Brackmills from a decaying, crime-ridden area into a clean, green, safe and secure estate with a record low level of crime.
This month businesses were asked to cast their vote and answer the question – ‘Do you want to vote yes to another five years as a BID?’
The answer was a resounding yes, with nearly half of the estate’s businesses casting their vote and 90% of these businesses voting yes.
Sara Homer, executive chair of Brackmills BID, said: “Thank you to all our businesses for supporting the BID, for casting their votes and pledging their commitment to maintain the improvements we have made – and the plans we have for the next five years.
“Since first voting to become a BID 10 years ago we have seen a record drop in crime, a significant investment in roads and a dramatic improvement to the estate’s environment, look and feel. Here’s to the next five years – we are committed to making Brackmills the premier business and logistics park in the country.”
There are four key objectives for the next five years:
- Infrastructure – to provide a great infrastructure and a smart working environment for businesses to operate and people and services to access and move around, safely and effectively.
- Crime prevention and Safety – to work closely with the Police and others to maintain a safe and secure working environment for freight transport, all vehicles, customers and the people who work in the estate.
- Environment and image – to provide a smart, tidy and safe environment and project an image which is consistent with the high quality values and standards of the businesses which operate on Brackmills.
- Business growth and investment – to support businesses on Brackmills to grow, develop and invest by creating a great working environment.
Sara Homer added: “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.
“Thanks to voting yes we will now 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.