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Town centre car parks partly close for two months

Louise Parry
News imageBBC An image of an outdoor, single-level car park that is set between blocks of flats and other multi-storey car parks. There is a yellow sign on a lamppost which reads: "Car park closure Notice. This car park will be closed all day Tuesday September 1st. This is in order for essential works to be carried out."BBC
Upper Mounts Car Park will be fully closed for one day on 1 September in preparation for a partial closure until late October

Two town centre car parks will be partly closed for two months while archaeological investigations take place.

The "essential works" at Upper Mounts and Newlands Car Parks in Northampton are being carried out in preparation for the Greyfriars regeneration scheme.

West Northamptonshire Council and English Cities Fund (ECF) hope to submit a planning application for a major redevelopment around the former bus station site.

Kamala Guliyeva, cabinet member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure, said: "The short-term inconvenience will help unlock substantial long-term benefits for Northampton and support a stronger, more vibrant town centre."

News imageWest Northamptonshire Council An architectural design of the new development, with people walking around a pedestrianised area. There are blocks of flats and offices with street trees on both sides, and a cycle lane through the middle.West Northamptonshire Council
The Greyfriars development would see more than 100 homes built on the sites of Upper Mounts and Newlands car parks

The part-closures mean about half of the spaces at both car parks will be unavailable until at least the end of October.

Approximately 160 spaces at Upper Mounts will be out of use, and the council said 36 spaces at Newlands Park would also be "temporarily affected while survey work is undertaken".

It comes shortly after the Mayorhold multi-storey car park was abruptly closed for safety reasons.

The council said there were still more than 1,000 spaces available across its other sites, including Grosvenor Centre and St Michael's multi-storey car parks and Campbell Square.

News imageA close-up image of a parking machine at Upper Mounts car park. There is a yellow sign saying "pay here".
The council hopes parts of the affected parking areas may be able to reopen ahead of the Christmas period

ECF development director Glyn Mutton said the archaeological surveys marked "an important milestone in unlocking Greyfriars" and progressing the plans.

"We understand the closure of these car parks will affect users, and it has been carefully considered to minimise the impact, including limiting the closure to affect the least amount of spaces for the minimum amount of time," he said.

"These investigations will help us learn more about the significance of this part of Northampton and ensure any archaeological discoveries are recorded and considered as we look towards the future enhancements to this area," he added.

Guliyeva said: "While we recognise the temporary impact [the works] will have on parking provision, they are a necessary step in bringing forward a regeneration scheme that will deliver new homes, improved public spaces, new commercial opportunities and long-term investment in the town centre."

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