Ian Vincent, executive director of the council, said: ‘The idea behind the WaterSpace is still that we will connect to the Grand Union Canal.’

What we are trying to do here, he added, is get each part of the Vision done in a phased and managed way. The Marina will be self-funding - the money that will come out of that site will pay for it.

But many councillors voiced concerns that the people of Daventry and the district were sceptical or hostile to the proposed WaterSpace development.

‘I think it's very important to re-enforce the impact of the WaterSpace facility and the canal for the future of Daventry,’ said Cllr Ken Melling. ‘The people of Daventry are sceptical of the WaterSpace, but developers want it and education authorities want it. It's a clear benefit for this town and it should be realised that lots of people want it.’

Chris Millar, leader of the council, said: ‘In the past we've had lots and lots of houses built, but no infrastructure and we need to get things back from the developers for the community.’

We want it to be a very special market town, he insisted.