Communities secretary Eric Pickles has approved a compulsory purchase order unlocking a £330m university campus development in Northampton.
Led by West Northamptonshire Development Corporation, the CPO covers land for a new road through Avon Nunn Mills – the largest site in the Northampton Enterprise Zone.
Located next to the River Nene, the brownfield site includes a disused Avon Cosmetics factory, as well as a former power station owned by Taylor Wimpey UK and Persimmon Homes.
In November 2012, the landowners agreed a deal with WNDC and the University of Northampton that could see the area transformed into a waterside campus, enabled by a new one-mile spine road.
WNDC’s chief executive Peter Mawson said: “The University campus will be an unprecedented development for Northampton, breathing new life into its town centre.
“It is the jewel in the crown of an exciting regeneration programme, with nearby projects ranging from a new railway station to riverfront offices starting construction this year.”
The University of Northampton is aiming to submit a planning application for the campus this summer.
Subject to securing planning approval and funding arrangements, the University intendes construction to start in 2015 and complete in 2018.
nick.whitten@estatesgazette.com
