Needle Points:
What we can learn from the Rise and Fall of the WNDC Needle

So it’s all over. Thank goodness! Over the last few weeks we have seen the snowball of public opinion against the WNDC’s ‘zany’ needle grow, gain momentum and finally crush the arrogance of Mike Hayes and his QUANGO - making them realise that their status as an oligarchy does have very real limitations.

 The bitterness and the political mudslinging that has followed the needle’s demise does little to build our confidence in those that are either in charge of future development in Northamptonshire or even those that used to be in charge. On the one hand we have bitter statements and nonsensical threats from Mike Hayes of WNDC who said that Milton Keynes will benefit because of Northampton’s decision to reject the Needle. On the other hand, the Borough Council stand accused of having failed to perform as Planning Authority, which somehow seems to justify the imposition of the dreaded WNDC who will drive through massive overdevelopment of the town.

So, as we find ourselves between what appears to be a rock and a very hard place, where do we the residents stand? We should remember that back in the nineties, some local politicians thought it would be a good idea to agree with the Government that Northampton would welcome the addition of 45,000 new houses - leading to an increase in population of a whopping 60%. In spite of the evidence of the expansion to the East in the Seventies and the subsequent deterioration of the town centre, like gamblers at the Last Chance Saloon, they believe that this ‘one more throw of the dice’, is the only way to rescue Northampton’s failing economy.

Since then, every effort has been made to convince us that the expansion is a done deal, which was approved after wide consultation. (We still haven’t found anyone that was consulted at the time). And so, they would have you believe, the question is not ‘should we add 45,000 houses to an already congested town’, but more ‘let’s get on with the houses and worry about the infrastructure afterwards’

Well here’s the thing. If it takes just a few letters to the Chronicle & Echo and Herald & Post, followed by some polite pressure being applied to Parish, District, & County Councillors - and a couple of MP’s for good measure, to overrule the WNDC on the Needle issue, what would it take to make the Government take a serious look at what is likely to happen to Northampton if they insist on carrying out John Prescott’s original plan to build on an already creaking infrastructure? How many residents would need to be heard to make Gordon Brown think again and take the sensible and fair option of building a new town, with its own shops, hospitals, waste disposal, sewers, medical centres, schools and most importantly: transport and roads?

So, the Needle shows us that we know how it can work. The residents write letters to their local press. The press publish them and show some support for the revolutionary idea of a new town. Politicians recognise that their constituents are calling out to them and they swing behind the campaign; more residents join in until eventually, in this town of 190,000 souls, there is one very loud voice rejecting the depressing future of a town that is even more overburdened than the one we have today.

But what about the people that don’t agree with our viewpoint? We are guessing that if offered the choice between stable and gentle growth for Northampton versus the town becoming the biggest building site in the country for the next 13 years, the numbers who would vote for a new town - if they thought it was on the table - would surely outweigh the expansionists by 100 to 1? 

The new town option could very well be on the table, but only if thousands of voices shout loudly enough for it. If we continue to stand by, too polite to speak up, the 45,000 houses will most certainly go ahead. We will see gridlock on our roads, more frequent floods, a further decline in our already unacceptable levels of health and emergency services, schools and essential services.

So don’t let it happen - sign our petition, write to the newspapers, write to your Councillors and MP. Tell them what everyone is thinking: Life in Northampton will be miserable if we increase the number of people living in it by 60%. When you’ve done that - speak to your relatives, friends and neighbours and encourage them to do the same. We can already hear the clamour of the voices of thousands of Northamptonians.

Some of the photographs included on this site were kindly supplied by an arrangement with creative commons