How town centre regeneration projects are progressing

It is six months since a local authority invited locals to "shape the future" of a county town.

Reform UK-controlled West Northamptonshire Council launched a public engagement activity on its draft Northampton Town Centre Masterplan in July. It was closed in August.

The next steps have yet to be disclosed, but a number of high-profile redevelopment projects are already under way, with some completed.

They have been financed through funding streams such as the Towns Fund, Future High Streets Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Levelling Up Fund, but where do they stand as we head into 2026?

It is now more than 10 years since the four-acre (1.62-hectare) former site of a bus station, once dubbed "the mouth of hell" by Channel 4 presenter and designer Kevin McCloud, was anything more than a vacant space.

Greyfriars bus station opened in 1976 and dominated the town's skyline for nearly 40 years before it was demolished in March 2015.

Plans for its development were previously approved in 2016, but did not progress.

In 2024 the council announced a national partner to finally deliver regeneration of the site.

In June, an agreement was signed to finally deliver the scheme, with plans due to include 1,000 homes, an amphitheatre, shops and restaurants.

The wider site, covering 25 acres (10 hectares), also includes two existing car parks, a disused corn exchange, and a derelict office block.

At this stage no proposed completion date for Greyfriars has been outlined.

The former Market Walk shopping centre is set to be transformed into an "innovative food hall and leisure space" under plans revealed in August 2023.

The building, previously known as Peacock Place, was last open in 2018, but leisure developer Stack said it wanted to make it a "focal point" for local people and visitors alike.

A £12.2m transformation has been slated for the site, which sits between the Market Square and Abington Street.

The council said it would provide about £4.2m in investment through the Towns Fund, along with £8m from Stack, which completed its purchase of the shopping centre building on 1 August.

Planning consent was approved in March 2024, but work on the development is yet to begin.

In October, West Northamptonshire Council leader Mark Arnull said major works on the "hugely complex" project would begin in "the early part of next year".

He hoped Stack would be a "valued addition" to the town and said a 2026 opening was being targeted.

The centre would open 08:00 to 02:30 every day and create about 250 jobs, the applicant said.

Plans to replace the empty BHS and Marks & Spencer department stores on Abington Street with flats and smaller retail units were unveiled in 2022.

BHS closed all of its stores in 2016, while the town's M&S was shut in 2018 as part of a savings plan by the retailer.

The demolition of the former stores at 35-45 Abington Street started this autumn and is due to be completed by March 2026.

According to We Are Northampton, work to replace the stores with residential flats and retail and leisure spaces is expected to be completed in 2032.

Despite houses and a gas tower being demolished in 2013, nothing has been built at Four Waterside.

However, in October 2023, the council announced it had agreed a partnership with developer Cityheart to deliver the "transformational" scheme.

It said work to build a new hotel, office spaces and "high-quality" homes would begin in 2025.

Plans for the 60,000 sq-ft (5,575 sq-m) site, near the River Nene and St Peter's Way and behind the University of Northampton Innovation Centre, were first submitted in January 2016.

Four Waterside was due to open in 2017 but discussions between the council and contractor Kier stalled and the council terminated the agreement in April 2019.

The council said a £1.5m grant from the government's Towns Fund and a further £7m from the Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone would help deliver the project, which it hoped would "contribute to the wider transformation across the town".

In July it was announced the scheme had been further delayed by "power capacity issues".

We Are Northampton said it was targeting completion of the work by summer 2032.

Patrons are still waiting to return to the town's historic Old Black Lion pub, which is yet to reopen after a £3.5m restoration.

The 16th Century Grade II-listed pub has been empty since 2018 and work on bringing it back into use began in 2023.

The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), a charity that runs the adjacent 12th Century Grade I-listed St Peter's Church, is overseeing the project.

As part of the plan, the CCT has moved its national office to the first floor of the refurbished building.

Although the charity is a tenant, it remains unknown when the pub will resume business.

Local brewery Phipps had been in line to operate the establishment, but pulled out in November stating it "no longer represented an opportunity" the brewery should take up.

West Northamptonshire Council is yet to announce a new operator for the pub, which was originally targeting a 2024 reopening.

A facelift of Northampton's historic Market Square was completed in late 2024.

The 18-month project was funded by £8.4m from the government's Future High Streets Fund, and £4m through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

However, in November the council signed off a £1m overspend to settle a dispute with contractor Stepnell Ltd, bringing the final cost to £13.5m.

The renewed Market Square has been used as a dynamic community space, hosting Diwali and Northamptonshire Day celebrations, a Women's Rugby World Cup fan zone and most recently an ice skating rink.

The redevelopment of the town's main shopping avenue, Abington Street, was completed in June following delays.

The £5.2m scheme, funded by the Towns Fund, involved installing new paving, seating, additional trees and landscaping on Abington Street and Fish Street.

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