Development plans for Greyfriars bus station site in Northampton will not be displayed next week as planned

The town’s brutalist bus station was demolished on Mother’s Day last year, leaving a four acre swathe of town centre land ready for development.

Northampton Borough Council began marketing the site last year and, as a result, three major bids were put forward. It is now understood there are just two in the running, although the content of the proposals has been kept under wraps.

It had been hoped the final bid would be selected in “early 2016” and there were suggestions the Greyfriars plans would go on display at next week’s Northampton Alive event at Franklin’s Gardens.

But leader of the council, Councillor Mary Markham (Con, Park) said the authority needs to take more time to choose the right development.

She said: “This is a major development project and we had set both the interested developers and ourselves very tight timescales for something of this size and significance.

“We want to take more time to consider the future of the Greyfriars site and want to get it right – the decision we take now will shape that part of Northampton for many years to come and what happens there has to be the right thing for Northampton.

“We hope to come back to the public with some firm proposals in the next couple of months.”

It is understood the two proposals will remain on display over the summer and a final decision will be made in autumn.

Back in August 2014, more than 100 people responded to a consultation on the Greyfriars land. Some of the suggestions put forward were to turn the land into a retail outlet, an independent shopping village, a large ball pit and a new bus station.