Covid-19 testing begins at new Northampton facility as Market Square makes way for Christmas tree

A new Covid-19 testing centre has opened for appointments at the University of Northampton today (November 6).

The centre, located in Car Park 2 of the Waterside Campus off Bedford Road, is a walk-in centre for local residents who have symptoms of coronavirus.

Pilot appointments are currently taking place to make sure the centre, which will be more permanent than the Market Square centre, is fully operational.

Once this is confirmed, the Market Square centre will be disassembled, as it was never intended to be a long term plan. The town’s main Christmas tree will then make use of the space.

Speaking at a weekly county council Covid meeting yesterday (November 5), director of Public Health Northamptonshire, Lucy Wightman, said: “The local testing centre that has been in the Market Square in Northampton will be moving to university carparks.

“It’s still in walking distance from the Market Square and for most people within the town centre.

“It also has significant parking, which is free again.

“The Market Square centre will be closed to make way for the Christmas tree.”

The head of quality at Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust, Sharon Wright, said at the meeting that the centre will ‘stay on the university site for the foreseeable future.’

Ms Wright also confirmed that the Spratton testing site had to ‘move quickly’ from its site to the university campus after the site became ‘soggy’ and ‘slippery’, which reiterats the message that residents need to book an appointment rather than just turning up, as centre locations can change quickly.

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, book a test on the NHS website or call 119.

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