A hotelier, retail boss and cultural leader have outlined their visions for the future of Northampton town centre having been appointed to the board of the Business Improvement District.
Simon Smith, general manager of the Park Inn Northampton, Tom Litchfield, operations manager of Grosvenor Shopping Northampton and Chris Evans, director of sales, marketing and development at Royal & Derngate have all been appointed as BID directors – tasked with overseeing the growth of the town centre.
The trio join the existing board of directors and offer decades of experience to help guide the town centre through the next few years – a period which will see unprecedented change in Northampton with a programme of redevelopment works to reimagine the high street and surrounding areas.
Mark Mullen, operations manager of Northampton Town Centre BID, said: “We are delighted to welcome Simon, Tom and Chris to the board and look forward to working with them as we support businesses through this exciting time for our town centre.
“We know there will be many challenges for businesses as the redevelopment work goes on around them but we will be there to support them every step of the way to ensure they are a part of our town centre for many years to come.”
In March 2021, businesses voted in favour of renewing the BID for five more years until 2026, securing a significant £1.5 million to be spent on promoting the area.
Businesses pay an annual levy into a collective pot which is used to deliver the BID events, initiatives and projects in line with the BID Business Plan. The Board is governed by local business people who all give up their time as directors on a voluntary basis to help steer the project delivery.
Simon has experience of working with a number of other BIDs and said: “Northampton is a town with a huge amount of potential and I’m looking forward to working closely with businesses to unlock that potential.”
Chris added: “The wealth of cultural heritage we have here in Northampton is incredible. This is a brilliant opportunity to bring business and the arts closer together and working for the good of the town.”
Tom added: “Our town centres continue to evolve and I am relishing the chance to work with businesses to ensure our retail offer remains strong. The next couple of years will no doubt present obstacles to overcome but I want to play my part in helping businesses mitigate those challenges and be ready for a reinvigorated, new look town centre which will put us at the forefront of the 21st century town centre experience.”
For more details visit www.northamptonbid.co.uk
