Milestones

This year, local businesses and residents will have the ability to help shape and influence plans to improve travel options in Kettering by voting via this website. We'll be adding new polls and sharing the decisions you have influenced as we go.

County-Wide Public Survey

5 June 2020

9 October 2020

The Commonplace heat map platform was launched across Northamptonshire in summer 2020. The aim was to identify the ways our streets can be improved in the light of covid and the need to socially distance as well as walk or cycle more. There were nearly 12,000 visitors to the platform and over 10,000 contributions by mainly local people. The information gathered has also provided a foundation for the 2021 Kettering Walking and Cycling Plan.

Research Stage

July 2021

September 2021

The project team met and agreed the area the project would cover (a range approx 5km from Kettering town centre but shifted slightly to include all of Burton Latimer). The team then gathered various traffic data, cycle counts, travel plans etc to do the initial desk research required.

Key Stakeholder Engagement - 1

14 October 2021

31 October 2021

A group of key stakeholders took part in a workshop to introduce the project and identify key walk and cycle routes. This included councillors representing the area, Executive Member councillors with responsibility for Climate and Transport, senior officers and representatives of the local hospital, business community and disability, cycling and walking groups. In addition, councillors from Kettering Town Council, Burton Latimer Town Council and local parish councils are being contacted directly to have the opportunity to influence decisions about the priority walk and cycle routes.

Community Group Engagement

21 October 2021

1 December 2021

We will be working directly with a number of community groups/representatives to engage their support in getting their members to have a say in the project. More indepth discussions with special interest groups will help us develop a plan which addresses the needs of all. Updates on the individual groups we work with on this will be posted in the News section.

Route Audits

19 October 2021

19 November 2021

We are auditing the main walk and cycle routes identified. This means assessing the routes to see what is needed to make them better. Five key issues are considered for the walking route audit: attractiveness (eg litter-free, well maintained), comfort (eg wide, no pavement parking), direct (eg able to walk directly, crossing quick), safety (eg low motor traffic volume and speed) and coherence (good tactile paving and dropped kerbs).

School and Young People Engagement

9 November 2021

30 November 2021

Local schools will have the opportunity to enable their pupils to have a say in the development of the Kettering Local Cycling and Walking Plan. Young people have the most to gain from improvements to our local area in the long term. We want to ensure they have a say and will be collaborating with local secondary and primary schools to enable this.

Launch of Heat Map for Public Engagement

9 November 2021

February 2023

The heat map is an easy way for members of the public to have a say on how to improve our walk, wheel, cycle and scoot infrastructure. It will also help us understand how important this is to local people and will help us ensure we are reaching a wide range of local people for their views. This heatmap is a fresh version specifically for the Kettering area. We will also be looking at the results from the 2020 county-wide heatmap which is now closed. There will also be options to take part which are paper-based and these will be promoted with the support of local community organisations and publicised here.

Key Stakeholder Engagement - 2

28 April 2022

A second key stakeholder online workshop took place with representatives from community organisations, Kettering Town Council and councillors from both NNC and KTC. The project team presented the draft report including the high level network plan, individual routes, the prioritisation plan and information on potential funding sources to implement the schemes. Participants had the opportunity to comment on the draft, ask questions, give their input and influence the final report prior to the proposals going out for a second stage of engagement with the public.

Development of the Plan

1 April 2022

Spring 2023

The Kettering Walking and Cycling Plan has been developed as a draft with further opportunities to feedback on key aspects, such as route priority. This is being done through public events and will be extended through the commonplace platform. When completed and approved it will be published. Then it will be ready for submission to the government to support any future funding bids North Northamptonshire Council decides to pursue to enable schemes in the plans to be implemented over the next ten years.

Second Stage Public Engagement

13 April 2023

19 May 2023

The draft network of walk and cycle routes has been published. Members of the public, businesses and community organisations can give their views on the routes, including which should be prioritised.