Here are the top five most lucrative car parks in and around Northampton as it's revealed council made £3m last year

More than £3 million was earned by West Northamptonshire Council’s car parks last year, a freedom of information request has revealed.

The authority has restated its pledge to keep parking free in Brackley, Daventry and Towcester as Northampton remains the only town with council parking fees.

WNC manages 19 free car parks and 19 paid within the area, according to its website. It says the money made is spent on the maintenance and upkeep of all of its parking sites, as well as the remainder being used to support vital services like adult social care, children’s services, highways, and more.

We asked the council to share a list of its most lucrative car parks from January to December 2023.

The number one highest-earning car park, accruing more than half a million pounds alone, was St Johns MSCP. The 485-space facility, on Swan Street, is open 24 hours a day, all week, and charges a maximum of £8.80 for ‘all day’ parking.

In total, St Johns brought in a massive £607,472 for the year. It also took home the highest maintenance fee in the top five car parks, spending £53,000 on work over the year.

Next on the list is the Grosvenor multi-storey which raked in £422,050 from parking payments. It has more than 800 spaces and is the main parking spot for visitors going to the shopping centre.

Similar charges apply as other WNC car parks, ranging from 50p for up to 30 minutes, to £8.80 for over five hours.

The Mayorhold MSCP takes a spot in the top three most lucrative car parks, with £340,353 made throughout 2023. The facility, on Ladys Lane next to the derelict Greyfriars site, boasts the most spaces out of the council’s parking sites at 1,073.

Its opening hours are 6am to midnight and it charges the same rates as the other multi-stories in the town centre. However, the site features in the transformational masterplan for the Greyfriars area and could be redeveloped into a different use in the future.

Upper Mounts car park on Victoria Street, the first non-multi-storey car park to feature on the list, comes next earning £229,584 for the council. The site is also 24-hour use and charges remain the same, with slight variations on weekend parking.

It incurred the least maintenance costs over the year, only spending £110 on work. The site also features as an area flagged for rejuvenation in the Greyfriars development project.

Taking the last place in the top five, Commercial Street car park added £200,907 to West Northamptonshire’s funding pot. The lot is located at the bottom of the town centre- opposite the Carlsberg factory- and is approximately a six to seven-minute walk from Market Square.

The site became a temporary home to the displaced traders from Market Square at the beginning of 2023, whilst the centre undergoes a £10m redevelopment. Despite a section of the car park being used solely for traders and stands, vehicles were able to enter and use the facility as normal over the year.

The top five car parks alone brought in a combined sum of £1,800,368 for the authority, however only £129,554 went back into the sites for maintenance and running costs in that same period. Across all council-owned car parks in West Northants in 2023 a staggering £3,065,840 was made.

Cllr Phil Larratt, cabinet member for environment, transport, highways and waste, said: “Part of our parking income is used for upkeep and associated costs, like payment machines, security and so on. The remainder is used to support vital services like adult social care, children’s services, education, highways, housing, and refuse and recycling collections.

“Parking is never free, someone always pays for it, whether it’s all taxpayers or just those who use the car parks. We try to strike a balance between what visitors are likely to be able to afford and the need to cover the cost of council services, and we do offer a two-hour period on weekends, some of our busiest days, which isn’t charged for.

“It’s also important that we manage demand to ensure spaces are available for those who need them. If we didn’t charge for parking in Northampton, there is a risk that too great a proportion of spaces within the town centre would be filled by commuters, students, and people who work or live in the town centre, to the detriment of shoppers who would be deterred from using the centre if these spaces were not available, putting businesses and jobs at risk.

“We currently don’t charge for parking in other parts of our area such as Brackley, Daventry and Towcester, which have lower demand compared with the amount of parking available. This is something we pledged when the council was established and we have no intention of reneging on this pledge.”