Council agreed future use of Becket's Park Pavilion

19 July 2023

West Northamptonshire Council has agreed to a shared use of Becket’s Park Pavilion in Northampton to give it a new future supporting use of the park.

The decision was taken by the council’s Cabinet on Tuesday (11 July) and will mean the creation of a new café whilst the voluntary group, Buddies of Becket’s (BOB), is able to formalise its use to support enjoyment of the park.

The café operator is currently assessing the extent of the work required to make this plan a reality.

This plan offers the best chance of protecting the building for the future, while creating something that’s of benefit to the users of Becket’s Park.

We’re extremely happy that we’ve been able to find a way of supporting Buddies of Becket’s while potentially creating a new enterprise at the heart of one of our wonderful open spaces.

I’m sure if a café does open at the pavilion in the future, it will be quite a draw for students from the nearby University of Northampton, as well as the thousands of other residents who use the park each year.

We know this project has taken some time to reach its conclusion and we’re incredibly grateful to all involved for their patience.Cllr Malcolm Longley, WNC Cabinet Member for Finance

The pavilion is a charming 19th century-style building which was previously used as a café and kiosk, before it fell into disrepair following closure.

Buddies of Beckets is very pleased that the future of the Pavilion in the park has finally been resolved.  

Our consultation many years ago showed that returning the pavilion to a café was high on the agenda for park users.

We know the new café owner is community orientated and we wish them all the best, I’m sure it will be successful venture.
Nick Stephens, Co-chair of Buddies of Becket’s