Have your say on proposal to permanently gate off problematic jetty in Northampton town centre

Residents are being invited to have their say on a problematic jetty in Northampton being permanently gated off after a proposal was put forward earlier this year.

Francis Jetty is located off Bridge Street, Northampton, and provides a short cut to Kingswell Street and nearby St Peters Way car park. However, for many years the jetty has attracted persistent illicit activities and anti-social, criminal behaviour.

To tackle these behaviours, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is proposing to make a Public Spaces Protection Order to gate the public highway, using its powers under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. If the plans are approved - following this consultation - Francis Jetty will be gated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with access to Kingswell Street still available via alternative routes.

The initial cost of the gates and installation will be covered from the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner as part of the Safer Streets project, funded by the Home Office.

Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: "We have put measures in place to improve the safety of women and girls, working on our own and with partners to prevent crime. Gating this alleyway would be a simple, practical step towards making people safer on a night out, closing off a place where potential perpetrators can hide away.

“I am pleased to support this plan, which is part of our wider programme of work to make women and girls safer and ultimately create a better environment for everyone."

This would be Northampton’s fifth Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), following the implementation of orders across the Town Centre area in April 2017 and at Marble Arch in January 2018, followed by Jeyes Jetty in March 2021, after a 24-year-old was died after he was punched in the jetty in 2019.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Member for community safety and engagement and regulatory services, said: "Over the past three years we’ve been working closely with partners to reduce anti-social behaviour and criminal activity in the town centre and make it a safer place for all.

"Francis Jetty is a narrow space linking one of the busiest roads in Northampton’s Night Time economy to a dark street with little surveillance. This makes it a convenient place for criminals and perpetrators of violence to exploit vulnerable people.

"Creating safer communities with less anti-social behaviour is one of the Council’s top priorities and we hope that by gating this alleyway through a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) we can help deter future anti-social behaviour and reduce violence against women and girls in the town centre’s Night Time economy."

An Environmental Audit undertaken by Northamptonshire Police in 2022 found that Bridge Street accounted for nearly 20 percent of crime data for violence against women and girls in the Night Time economy between April 2017 and March 2021.

The consultation will last six weeks and will be carried out via the council’s consultation hub. Anyone who would like to share their views about gating Francis Jetty can take part in an online survey at the WNC Citizen Space.