There are likely to be a number of impacts as a result of the development of the new North Stand at Franklin's Gardens.

The benefits

Club, community, town and county will all benefit from the additional revenues which will be generated by the new North Stand. Not only will Franklin's Gardens help maintain Northampton's place on the international map as a home to world class sport, but the club will be able to put more investment into the team and coaching staff to keep the Saints at the top end of Aviva Premiership Rugby and in the Heineken Cup.

The income from the new North Stand would enable the club to meet the increasing demands of the salary cap without requiring external investment and to help develop the scope and reach of the Saints' award-winning Community department, which helps the lives of tens of thousands of young people each year.

More people would be able to watch world class rugby in state-of-the-art facilities - especially in the run-up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup - and local businesses can utilise the top hospitality and conference facilities to showcase themselves and generate inward investment into Northampton.

Finally, the increased capacity would mean a potential 2,000 new customers every home match day to the businesses of St James and Sixfields.

Pedestrian traffic and access to the stadium

There will be an increase in the amount of pedestrian traffic route to the stadium through Car Park A, adjacent (albeit on the other side of a wall) from the southern end of the Tower Village residential estate. There will be an anticipated increase in pedestrian traffic flow accessing the stadium via the north-west turnstiles of approximately 750 people per match.

Non-match day events

Given that the current function suites are being replaced on a like-for-like basis, it is likely tat future usage will remain similar to current levels; approximately 20-30 events per month, 1-2 of which continue into the evening. However with a dedicated reception in the east end of the stand (closest end to Beacon Bingo) any impact on residents in the Tower Village is expected to be minimal.