KET12 Movement and Connectivity
Improving how residents and visitors move through the area and in particular access the town centre requires understanding the options and opportunities for walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport as well as considering how those who need to use a private car are able to access the town centre and park appropriately.
This policy idea uses the Kettering Town Centre Masterplan (2023-24) and the “Get Down to Town Kettering” Travel Plan to provide support for this policy, along with the Healthy Streets indicators.
Part one of this policy idea is therefore to map the existing active travel network ( walking, wheeling, cycling, bus routes and train routes) and to use the status of the KNP to draw to the attention of developers where this network is so that they can take it into account in designing their proposals, and especially how their schemes are accessed if they are located next to the network.
The map can also identify opportunities for improvement to encourage a higher uptake of active travel modes of transport, to assist decision makers and developers in prioritising funding when investing in the network.
The network is not just about the functionality of getting from point A to point B; what leisure routes exist in central Kettering, particularly in and around green or blue corridors? Quality in design is also about helping to create healthy communities, by building in activity to everyday routines, for example play streets, and access to nature. Everywhere in the KNP area is less than a 10-minute walk from an open space, so ensuring safe access to these and well-marked routes is crucial.
Seeking to promote Kettering as a family friendly location, there may be opportunities to create pathways to play or “Play on the Way” routes, to connect the Town Centre to existing public open spaces and parks to encourage increased movement between the two particularly for those with children or grandchildren ( For example along Meadow Road to link to Meadow Park or using the redevelopment of the Magistrates Court site to open up a green link between the bus interchange , Church Walk and the gardens to the north of Corn Market Hall?)
A second part of this policy idea could consider parking requirements, specifically in the town centre. What level of public parking needs to be safeguarded? Could town centre developments utilise public car parking for permit parking overnight to reduce the parking standards required to be achieved or do these uses conflict with the use of car parks for the evening economy?