Becket's Park £2.5m marina opens in Northampton

Six of the 80 moorings will be for residential use and the remaining will be for short-term visitors

A new £2.5m marina which has been described as a "crucial link" to Northamptonshire's waterway system has been officially opened.

The facility at Becket's Park in Northampton has 80 moorings, six of which will be for residential use.

It is a part of the wider redevelopment of Northampton's waterside area to include new homes and offices.

Lord Chris Smith, from the Environment Agency, said: "This marina will be a catalyst for further growth.

"Northampton stands at the point where the canal system meets the river system, so it's an absolutely crucial link between those very important different bits of the waterways system."

The project was started in 2010, when hundreds of fish were moved from the boating lake into the River Nene and the foundations for the moorings were put in place.

It was funded by a number of organisations, including Northampton Borough Council, Northamptonshire County Council, West Northamptonshire Development Corporation and Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership.

Councillor Tim Hadland, Northampton Borough Council's cabinet member for regeneration, said: "More and more people are discovering that our riverside is the perfect place to relax thanks to the new marina and improvements along its banks from Sixfields to Midsummer Meadows."