More than 80 per cent of Wellingborough firms are expecting growth during the next 12 months, according to a survey.
Half of the 60 companies which took part in the research carried out by the Wellingborough Chamber of Commerce are also looking to recruit in the year ahead, with business leaders predicting a “bright future”.
Companies highlighted improvements to the station and the need for town centre development as key infrastructure requirements in the survey, which is part of the chamber’s new ‘Enterprising Wellingborough’ campaign.
The results were presented to the area’s business community during a breakfast briefing on Friday, December 6, and will also be used to help the Wellingborough bid for a slice of the £100 million funding available through the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership.
James Wilson, chamber president, said: “Wellingborough has got the potential but it has never quite realised it.
“We have had a number of development schemes which haven’t quite crossed the line down to the recession, planning and viability issues.
“Wellingborough has missed out on investment into the county, but at the chamber we are excited that this could be Wellingborough’s time.”
A panel of industry and public sector representatives, including Wellingborough Council’s head of planning and local development Steven Wood, along with Tresham College principal Stuart Wesselby, took part in a debate at the event staged at Regents Park which is soon to be converted into a mini Enterprise Hub .
The need for more housing and commercial premises as well as a demand for specialist skills and education were discussed.
Sajeeda Rose, deputy chief executive of the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership, who took part in the session, said her organisation was working to help the county economy to grow and flourish, adding: “Wellingborough has got a bright future.”
Graham Stanton, managing director of developers Hampton Brook, which has built 1,000 homes in the town, added: “My message to Wellingborough as a major developer in the town for the last 30 years is that we need high-tech business parks where there is more of a quality, campus feel and easy access from a main road.”