Archaeological investigations to begin at Upper Mounts and Newlands Car Parks to support Greyfriars regeneration plans
31 July 2026
Essential archaeological investigations will begin at Upper Mounts and Newlands Car Parks from September as West Northamptonshire Council and English Cities Fund (ECF) continue to develop plans for the Greyfriars regeneration scheme.
The investigations forms part of the essential works prior to a planning application for the project being submitted and provides an important opportunity to better understand ground conditions. Any archaeological constraints ahead of the proposed redevelopment of the site.
From 1 September, part of Upper Mounts Car Park will temporarily close to allow archaeological trenching and site investigations to take place ahead of the submission of a hybrid planning application for the Greyfriars scheme. The investigations are expected to take up to two months and will require approximately 160 spaces to be taken out of use. 36 parking spaces at Newlands Car Park will also be temporarily affected while survey work is undertaken.
While the temporary closure will reduce parking capacity in the town centre, alternative council-operated car parks, including Campbell Square (24 hours with 28 spaces), St Michael's Multi-Storey Car Park (24 hours with 464 spaces) and Grosvenor Centre Multi-Storey Car Park (810 spaces – opening times on the website), remain available. The Council will provide temporary signage to help direct motorists to alternative parking options and minimise disruption.
Greyfriars is the largest brownfield regeneration opportunity in Northampton and is being delivered through a development partnership between West Northamptonshire Council and ECF. The first phase of development is expected to deliver more than 100 high-quality homes on the current Upper Mounts and Newlands car park sites. This will include a mixture of one-to-four-bedroom townhouses with private gardens, maisonettes and apartments. At the heart of the neighbourhood will be a large community garden for all residents to enjoy, with improved pedestrian and cycle access, reconnecting Greyfriars with Northampton town centre through upgrades to Victoria Street and new crossings over Lady’s Lane. The Council is also exploring opportunities to secure the homes as affordable housing.
Cllr Kamala Guliyeva, Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure at West Northamptonshire Council, said: "Greyfriars is an exciting opportunity to bring forward new homes, public spaces and investment in Northampton town centre, helping to create a vibrant new neighbourhood while making better use of a significant brownfield site.
"While we recognise the temporary impact that these investigations will have on parking provision, they are a necessary and important 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.
"We're committed to keeping disruption to a minimum and ensuring residents, businesses and visitors are kept informed throughout the process. The short-term inconvenience will help unlock substantial long-term benefits for Northampton and support a stronger, more vibrant town centre for future generations."
ECF Development Direct Glyn Mutton said: "This marks an important milestone in unlocking Greyfriars and progressing plans for its future. 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.
“These investigations will help us learn more about the significance of this part of Northampton and ensure any archaeological discoveries are recorded, understood and considered as we continue to look towards the future enhancements to this area”
The temporary investigations are expected to be completed by the end of October. Subject to the outcome of the works, parts of the affected parking areas may be able to reopen ahead of the Christmas period.
Alongside the temporary closure of Upper Mounts and Newlands, Mayorhold multi-storey remains closed until further following the discovery of crumbling concrete. Work to determine whether Mayorhold can safely reopen is ongoing, and WNC will provide an update in due course.