Closure of four city centre NCP car parks confirmed

Administrators have confirmed four National Car Parks (NCP) sites in Leicester city centre will close on Friday.

The Lee Circle car park, described as one of the oldest multi-storey car parks in Europe by the city council, will be among those to shut.

Rutland Centre car park, next to the Curve theatre, will also close, along with NCPs in Abbey Street and East Street.

The move comes after NCP entered administration earlier in March, but Leicester City Council said there was "plenty of capacity in its city centre car parks" and it was working with partners to "manage the impact of these closures".

A total of 682 jobs were put at risk when the company entered administration, with administrator PwC stating the parking industry had not recovered to pre-Covid levels.

PwC announced a tranche of 22 sites deemed unviable nationally that would close, including four in Leicester and another in Leicestershire – the Hinckley Britannia Shopping Centre car park.

The Hinckley Business Improvement District group said work was under way to find an alternative provider, but a spokesperson added: "The car park will remain open and free after NCP relinquishes management of the site."

In Leicester, motorists had mixed views of the closures.

Liza Reed, 26, who regularly uses Lee Circle car park, said: "It's close to town, and it's fairly cheap, especially at the weekend.

"It's two hour max in town [on the street] so you can't really use that. I've no idea what I'm going to do now.

"It might just mean I take the bus a lot more, which I should be doing anyway, but it's just convenient, especially when I have the shopping to have the car with me."

Adam Awudu, 55, said he did not use NCP car parks because of the price.

"Some people are starting to become cyclists or using their feet to access the city centre because of the cost of living," he said.

Meanwhile, Caroline Darlaston, who visits Curve with her husband Brian, said they tried to avoid using NCP sites.

"It is expensive, that's the drawback, and it adds on another £7, £8 or £9 to your evening, so maybe that's why people are stopping using them."

Curve had offered discounts to visitors who parked at the Rutland Centre.

A spokesperson said it would be publishing an updated list and emailing customers with alternative sites.

In a statement addressing the 22 sites that would be closed, a PwC spokesperson said: "Regrettably, due to the closure of these sites, 33 employees will be made redundant on 31 March.

"The other 318 car parks remain open and there are no further sites identified for closure at this time."

Martin Fletcher, Leicester City Council's highways director, added: "We are working closely with partners to manage the impact of these closures, and looking at any future actions needed.

"However, it's important to note that even with the loss of the NCP spaces, there remain more than 9,000 off-street parking spaces in the centre of Leicester, as well as around 1,300 on-street spaces available for public use."

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