Plans are NOT 'coming soon' to convert a massive derelict office block in Northampton into 122 flats for key workers

Plans are NOT ‘coming soon’ to convert a huge Northampton town centre office block into apartments for 'key workers', in what appears to be a U-turn from the council.

Proposals to convert Belgrave House into 122 new apartments for ‘key workers’ called ‘The Clock House’ were approved by the now defunct Northampton Borough Council in 2020.

The site is an empty office block built in the 1970s and is attached to the Grosvenor Centre, sitting opposite the empty site where the former Greyfriars bus station used to be.

The development, spearheaded by the council’s housing stock providers Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH), aimed to let flats at affordable rents to eligible households on the Housing Register. It was set to include 70 one-bedroom and 52 two-bedroom flats, which were to be allocated to people working for key employers – in both the public sector and private sector – within walking distance of the town centre. These employers included Northampton General Hospital, Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service, WNC and local retail and leisure businesses.

However, despite grand computer generated images slapped on hoardings around the site for years saying ‘coming soon’, the plans are actually on ice.

A WNC spokeswoman said: “Given significant pressures related both to inflation and increased costs as a result of the Building Safety Act, work on the project has been temporarily paused and alternative options are being considered.

"Unfortunately this unprecedented pause is out of our control however we hope to commence plans for this site in due course.”

Opposition councillor Danielle Stone, whose ward the site lies in, said: “This is very disappointing. We badly need a key worker housing scheme in order to encourage people to work for West Northants. The cost of filling vacancies with agency staff, the cost of having to continuously recruit staff are a drain on our budgets. We need to do better.”

What’s revealing is WNC opened a public consultation in December for ideas for the redevelopment of the former Greyfriars bus station site, which includes the former Belgrave House, as well as East and West Island, Mayorhold Multistorey Car Park, Corn Exchange and Victoria Street Car Park.

In that consultation WNC said the envisioned transformation for the Greyfriars site includes new ‘high-quality’ homes, dedicated community spaces, a new park, and exploration of commercial and leisure possibilities. There was no mention of flats for key workers.

WNC has been contacted for further comment. NPH has not responded to this newspaper.