The centre's initial concept is described here:
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'The building has been designed by Northamptonshire County Council in consultation with the partners and the Northampton Council for the Disabled. To be called the '8th Earl Spencer Centre for Young People', it will be the county headquarters for the Northamptonshire Clubs for Young People and provide office space for its full time staff. Additional accommodation will give them meeting and training rooms, stores and canoe storage.
The building will also be the new headquarters for the Northampton Canoe Club giving them dedicated space for canoes, trailers and a maintenance area. Storage space will also be provided for the centre-owned canoes and rafts which are available for public hire. Rowing, Orienteering, Cycling and other sports clubs will have access to the building for meetings and training purposes.
Further office space is allocated to the full time centre manager and the duty managers. The building will be fitted out for male and female changing and shower rooms with toilet facilities. Toilet facilities for those with disabilites will be provided on both floors. Access between floors is by stairs or specialist lift: the first floor houses a coffee bar, lounge and meeting rooms. The building can easily be used for hosting large events such as national canoeing competiotions. Wrekin Construction have appointed Mott MacDonald to carry out the detailed Engineering design, and Rex Bryan Son and Pennock as Architects.
The site, situated on approximately 50 acres of land known as Peaches Meadow and Barnes Meadow and owned originally by the County and Borough Councils, is bisected by the River Nene and within 2 km of the town centre of Northampton in England. Access to the centre will be from the A428 Bedford Road just south of the A45 trunk road. The site is already home of the Northampton Rowing Club. The Nene Way long distance footpath passes through the site and the Sustrans National Cycle Route connects the Centre directly to the Town Centre, thus enabling easy access for walkers, cyclists and those with disabilities.
This scheme is for EVERYONE: Not only for canoeing enthusiasts; not only for people who have done canoeing before, but for anyone who wishes to have fun and enjoyment on the water here in Northampton.
The canoe course, designed by the world's leading slalom designers, Proper Channels Ltd., and in consultation with project partners National Rivers Authority (now the Environment Agency), will be constructed on land above and below the existing weir to enable the fall of water to be partially diverted through the slalom via a manually controlled sluice gate. Additionally , three individually controlled electric pumps will be able to pump water from below the weir into the slalom to give a year round estimated grade 3 white water canoe course. The design of the canoe course, approved by the British Canoe Union, provides formal and informal channels through five interconnected pools. The slalom can be used with both canoes and inflatable rafts. Wrekin Construction have appointed Mott MacDonald to carry out the detailed civil engineering design which will allow these plans to be brought into reality. Excavated material from the site will be used to construct a 'spectator hill' for viewing.'
The building is named after Edward John Spencer.
Wikipedia describes this important person:
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'8th Earl Spencer, MVO (24 January 1924–29 March 1992) was the son of Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer and Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton, the daughter of James Albert Edward Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn, and the father of Diana, Princess of Wales.'
Details of the construction of the building and slalom can be found here: (
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