Project Angel may sound like some Secret Service codeword, but it’s in fact a thoroughly common sense move to bring potentially thousands of workers – very likely county council employees – into the heart of Northampton.
A massive all singing and dancing office complex at the back of County Hall would not only provide a financially prudent long-term solution for the local authority, it would do wonders for the local economy.
Instead of workers being bussed in from The Lakes for a lunchtime shop as they are now, up to 2,500 people could be in the heart of the town spending money and generally having a positive impact on the area itself.
To do this – and to see through other projects such as more accommodation for The University of Northampton students – Swan Street will be widened, allowing traffic to flow in both directions.
It’s an incredibly simple and relatively cheap spot of highways work but the rewards could be big.
Northampton is finally heading in the right direction when it comes to the regeneration of this town and while much attention has focused on the bus station re-development, the benefits that could arise from Project Angel could make a similarly huge impression on the town’s future.