Director Tony Clarke has explained some of the issues regarding the current Northampton Borough Council Core Strategy Consultation.

FREE AUDIO: Listen to Tony's interview on BBC Northampton

The re-development consultation information document that formed part of the match programme against Doncaster Rovers will be being widely distributed at all home games and in other ways between now and the end of October.

"We have wanted to have this consultation for at least a couple of years but we have had to make sure our progress was at the same speed as the Council," said Mr Clarke.

"That time has now come and we need the people of the town and the area to support this and say that they want the town to have a stadium and a football club to be proud of.

"This consultation will set out the planning policy for the town for the next 20 years. In the past, this was always called the local plan and acted as a guide for the planning officers. These days it is called the joint strategy but it again acts as a guide. We back the need for the town centre to be improved 200%, but we also want a football club playing at Championship level in a Championship level stadium with enhanced community facilities. We are sure the public back us on this as most polls show 80-90% support, but we really need people to have their say through the consultation.

"You can download the questionnaire from our official web site and then fill it out with your views and return it to the Council. We hope that people agree with us and are saying that they want an enhanced community stadium and as a club we want to see more life and vibrancy in and around the area of Sixfields - housing, retail etc so that it is lived in 24 hours a day.

"We have wanted to do this consultation for 2 years and every time we tried to do this we ran in to obstacles. The Council have kept to their timetable this time - they are actually a month ahead of their published timetable, but now if we don't respond all the waiting and the hard work will have been for nothing.

"The Council has had a change of Chief Executive and that has been important. I have met the new Chief Executive already - he understands re-development and football and both he and the leader of NBC Tony Woods have said that the town needs a successful football team playing in better facilities. We are all saying, come on, let's grab this town and lift it up to compete with our neighbours and be proud of where we live. Let's use the development money from housing and retail development to benefit the town through the football club, the team, the community programmes, the study centre and then as a club we can do more and more and more in these schemes.

"Tony and David Cardoza have rescued this club. Without their investment we would not have a Northampton Town. We have now turned the corner financially. Our losses are reducing and our financial footing is improving but the next step is about building and going forward. In our opinion the land at Sixfields should be used for better community facilities. The community of Northampton are the people who will then benefit.

"The money from this redevelopment will be used to take the club to the next level, on and off the field and the two have to go hand in hand.

"We are concluding the legals on the hotel at the moment. Planning applications are ready to go in. We have had to take one or two minor things out of the lease but that has been sorted and final legals are taking place. The hotel will only bring in a fraction of what we need to re-develop though, and we will still need to develop the land around Sixfields.

"The Council are consulting at the minute on this consultation until October 31. After that and until February- March they are looking at the results of this. In February and March next year they will issue a second consultation and ask for views again, and after that the local plan will start to take shape. At last we have something we can do - we can take part in this consultation and make sure they know how much desire there is for housing and retail at Sixfields and that we want that money to be used to re-develop the stadium.

"I will be talking to colleagues, family and friends to make sure they make their views known as well. I hope all supporters will do this as well. This is a chance to let the Council know what they want."

HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE SIXFIELDS RE-DEVELOPMENT. SEND IN YOUR LETTERS AND THE QUESTIONNAIRE TO THE COUNCIL BY OCTOBER 31. DO NOT LEAVE IT TO SOMEONE ELSE TO HAVE YOUR SAY.