Dozens of parking spaces to close at Northampton town centre car park for drainage works

Dozens of parking spaces at a busy Northampton town centre car park will be temporarily closed from next week while drainage improvement works take place.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has confirmed that work at Commercial Street car park will begin on Monday, November 9, and continue until late January.

The project aims to improve how surface water and rainfall enter the local drainage network, particularly during heavy rainfall.

The 250-space car park will lose up to 43 spaces at certain stages to accommodate worker welfare facilities and material storage.

However, the council has confirmed that no disabled parking spaces will be affected.

The closures will be phased, with 22 spaces unavailable between November 9 and 15, increasing to 43 between November 16 and December 6.

All spaces will reopen between December 7 and January 3 to accommodate Christmas shoppers, before 33 spaces become unavailable from January 4 to 24.

Entrances and exits will remain open throughout, with signage installed to guide motorists and pedestrians.

Councillor John Slope, cabinet member for finance and resources, said: “These works will improve how surface water and rainfall drain into the local network, particularly during heavy rain, and are needed to support the delivery of much-needed temporary accommodation nearby.

“We’ve phased the works to keep disruption to a minimum, and every space will be back in use from 7 December to 3 January for the Christmas shopping period. No disabled spaces, entrances or exits are affected.

“We apologise for any inconvenience and thank residents, businesses and motorists for their patience.”