Relief road's open, Silverstone wants two GPs, and your bins are under threat

Hey Towcester 👋

The relief road's open. There's a lorry ban on the A5. And Stuart Pringle reckons Silverstone should host two Grand Prix this year. If that doesn't qualify as a big week in NN12, we don't know what does.

Meanwhile, the bins petition is closing in on 1,000 signatures, Towcestrians played a cup final at Franklin's Gardens, and there's a by-election tomorrow. Lot going on.

Let's get into it.

Here's something Towcester has been waiting years for. The new relief road is open! 🎉

National Highways has started installing signage for the new Towcester Relief Road — the Persimmon-built link connecting the A5 and A43 — and with it comes a 7.5-tonne weight restriction on the A5 through the town centre. From Tuesday 5 May, HGVs will be directed onto the new road instead of rumbling past your front door.

Overnight works (8pm–6am) are happening this week for signage and footpath clearance, with temporary traffic lights and mobile closures. But the real story is the weight restriction itself: a temporary traffic regulation order that should mean less noise, better air quality, and a town centre that feels less like a lorry park.

National Highways says this is part of wider A5 improvements including shared-use paths for cyclists and pedestrians, new crossing points, and resurfacing. If they deliver even half of that, it'll be transformative.

The proposal to cut general waste collections from fortnightly to once every three weeks is still alive — and residents are pushing back hard. Nearly 1,000 people had signed the petition against the plans, with critics pointing out the timing is particularly painful given WNC recently voted through a 4.95% council tax increase.

The proposal goes to a council meeting on 5 May. We'll know more after that (so check back next week for updates) — but the pressure from residents is visible and growing.

West Northamptonshire Council is proposing changes to who qualifies for social housing — and the numbers tell you why.

Applications to the housing register have risen 77%, totalling 13,317 as of March 2026. The Reform UK-led council wants to tighten criteria to focus on those with "the most significant and urgent needs." Translation: too many people on the list, not enough homes.

The policy changes are heading to cabinet. No specifics yet on exactly who'd be excluded, which is the part that matters. If you're on the register in Towcester or surrounding villages, this is one to watch.

Silverstone CEO Stuart Pringle has put the circuit forward to host a second F1 race this season, after the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds were cancelled following Iranian strikes in retaliation to US-Israeli military action in the Gulf. It's not bluster — Silverstone pulled off exactly the same trick in 2020, hosting two races in a single summer. With further Middle East dates still uncertain, there's a genuine chance it happens again.

Two Grand Prix weekends on our doorstep in one year. Let that land for a second. We're talking tens of thousands of visitors, global TV coverage with "Towcester" on the road signs, and the kind of economic shot in the arm that local pubs, B&Bs, and takeaways dream about. If you're anywhere near the A43 on race weekends, you already know the score — plan accordingly, or plan to go nowhere.

Not everyone's a fan. Some critics argue a second Silverstone just papers over F1's over-reliance on a Middle East calendar that's looking increasingly fragile, rather than fixing the structural problem. Fair point for the sport's long-term health. But from a purely NN12 perspective? Two weekends of the world's biggest motorsport circus spending money in our back yard is hard to complain about. Get your tickets sorted — or at least warn your neighbours about the helicopters.

Coming up: Saints travel to Leicester Tigers on Saturday 9 May, 3:05pm kick-off. Tigers are competitive at home and it’s sold out, so if you missed tickets, it’s being broadcast on HBO Max & ITV. Could be a good one. Saints sit top of the Premiership but Tigers at Welford Road is never straightforward.

No game on the bank holiday weekend (1–3 May) so you haven’t missed anything.

Towcestrians took on Old Northamptonians in a cup final double header — here's how it went

A cup final at Franklin's Gardens — the home of Northampton Saints — and last Wednesday, Towcestrians walked out there for the Alliance Finals double header against Old Northamptonians. Whatever the result, that's a moment for a local club. The kind of thing players remember decades later.

What we do know is that getting to a cup final takes a proper season's worth of graft. That's months of training on cold Tuesday nights, away trips nobody glamorises, and the kind of commitment that doesn't get enough credit. So, even though we lost, well played, Towcestrians. The town is proud you were there.

Towcestrians' 1st XI romped to their first victory against Weekley & Warkton's 2nd XI. Batting first at Boughton Park on Saturday, the 1st XI posted 188 all out in 42.3 overs. Robson Kightley anchored the innings with a composed 64 off 79 balls — nine fours and a six — reaching his half-century in 73 balls before Matthew Robinson eventually found his stumps. Somesh Panaskar chipped in with a brisk 34 (53 balls, six fours), the pair putting on the bulk of the middle-order runs after a wobble at the top.

Extras were generous on both sides — 31 for the Towcestrians innings alone — but the batting did enough to set a target with teeth.

Weekley & Warkton never got close. Bowled out for 87 in just 28 overs, they managed only one partnership of note before the Towcestrians attack cleaned up. A 101-run win and 20 league points to start the campaign. Not bad for a bank holiday Saturday.

Quick reminder — by-election in Hackleton and Roade ward is Thursday 7 May. If you're in NN12 and in that area, make sure you vote.

Last call — WNC's SEND Strategy consultation closes 8 May. If you're a parent, carer, or work with children with special educational needs and disabilities, this is your window. Don't let it shut without having your say.

The Derby is underway and Round 2 kicks off this Friday (8 May) and Saturday (9 May) at Towcester Racecourse. Round 1 qualifiers are through — now the competition starts to narrow. If you haven't been yet, this is a good moment to go. The standard steps up, the heats mean more, and Towcester Racecourse is three miles from the town centre.

Full schedule: Round 2 (8–9 May), Round 3 (16 May), Quarter-finals (23 May), Semi-finals (30 May), Final (6 June). Check Towcester Racecourse for tickets and schedules.

The Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards are open for nominations, and we need to talk about this. Northamptonshire's food scene doesn't start and end at the Grosvenor Centre. Towcester and NN12 are packed with producers, bakers, pubs, and delis that absolutely deserve a seat at this table — but they won't get one if nobody nominates them.

You know the places. The bakery you drive slightly out of your way for. The pub kitchen that's quietly brilliant. The farm shop you recommend to everyone who moves here. These awards only reflect what people actually put forward, and county-wide stuff like this has a habit of getting swamped by Northampton entries purely on volume. That's not a knock on Northampton — it's a numbers game. And we can fix it by spending two minutes filling in a form.

So if you've got a favourite local food or drink business — and let's be honest, you definitely have — go nominate them. It costs nothing, it takes no time, and it might just put an NN12 name on a stage it deserves.

Farmers' Market — Fri 8 May, 9am–1:30pm, Sponne Shopping Arcade. Cheese on Towcest, The Green Machine Refill, Animal Nutrition, the Veggie Man, Isley Bread and more. Support your local traders.

Brain Magic: LIVE — Fri 8 May, Towcester Mill Brewery. Live brain magic show — one of the Mill's May highlights.

Greyhound Derby Round 2 — Fri 8 & Sat 9 May, Towcester Racecourse. 96 Round 1 qualifiers race in 16 heats across two nights. £15, under-16s free (includes a drink + £2 Tote bet).

Towcester Clean Up — Sat 9 & Sun 10 May. The bi-annual Tidy Up is this weekend. Four sessions available:

All equipment provided. Bring the kids — teach them a good'un. Contact David Reed at [email protected] to let them know you're coming.

Saints at Leicester — Sat 9 May, 3:05pm, Welford Road. The big East Midlands derby.

Folk at The Mill — Sun 10 May, Towcester Mill Brewery. Live folk on a Sunday afternoon.

Joint Speed Networking — Tue 13 May, 11am–1pm, Towcester Racecourse. Northants and MK Chambers joint networking. £10+VAT, members only. 17 places left.

📅 Save the Date: NN12 Community Choir Spring Concert — Fri 30 May, 7:30pm, Tove Valley Centre. Tickets at ticketsource.com.

Right, the forecasters are flagging a proper warm spell heading into this week — and for once, Towcester might actually get to enjoy it. Temperatures are set to climb nicely through the weekend, so if you've been putting off that lunchtime walk along the Bury Mount or dragging the kids to the rec, this is your window.

Practically speaking: sunscreen on the school run isn't overkill, and if you're working from home, the beer gardens at the Saracens Head or the Brave Old Oak are right there. Parkrun on Saturday morning could be a belter too — get your weekend run in before it gets sticky.

Here's a thought. The food awards story and the rugby story have more in common than you'd think.

Both are about showing up. The Towcestrians didn't win at Franklin's Gardens — but they were there. The NN12 food producers won't get nominated unless someone puts their name forward. And the SEND consultation won't reflect parents' views unless parents actually fill in the form.

Small communities don't get things by default. They get things because someone bothers. Nominates. Turns up. Votes. Fills in the form. Forwards the email.

That's what this newsletter is about, really. Not just telling you what happened — but nudging you to do the thing that makes the next thing happen.

So. Go nominate your favourite pub kitchen. Go vote in the by-election. Go forward this to your neighbour who keeps saying "nothing ever happens in Towcester."

If someone sent you this, subscribe here — free, every Wednesday. And if you've got a tip, a correction, or a strong opinion about bin collections, hit reply.

Stay toasty. 🧇

— Atlas & Lee, somewhere in NN12