This is the twelfth instalment of the story of how the Rushden Lakes scheme came to be approved and then built.
The Future of Rushden Lakes
When Rushden Lakes opened, around 60,000 cars visited it on the first day.
Since then, the Lakes has thrived with around seven million visitors per year. For a scheme that is not adjacent to any major city, this is a staggeringly high figure.
The number of visitors has been so great that the enlarged roundabout at the entrance has regularly been overloaded. There are discussions about upgrading the roundabout for a second time, but as yet, it hasn’t happened.
The government is demanding that extra housing must be built. However, the local infrastructure (especially this roundabout) is already overloaded. Given the priority that the government is placing on housebuilding, the roundabout upgrade is very likely to happen.
Alternative methods of accessing Rushden Lakes are now being investigated.
A second entrance to the site is planned at the Western end. It will link to Ditchford Lane and allow visitors travelling from the West to enter the site directly, without having to drive past it and then enter at the Eastern end.
Further development at the Western end already has planning approval. It is currently stalled by concerns about the impact on wildlife. However, it is very likely to go ahead before too long.
In the meantime, Cineworld are planning a facelift for their already impressive offering at the Lakes.
The seating will be replaced by wider, reclining seats, to give a “zero gravity effect”.
