Plans to removal asbestos at former BHS stores in Northampton given go-ahead

Plans have been approved to remove asbestos from the former BHS stores and M&S buildings in Northampton.

At the cabinet meeting on Tuesday (September 19), councillors considered documents to bring forward the safe removal of all asbestos from the site in order to enable the deconstruction of all buildings ahead of a development partner coming on board to provide a cleared site ready to begin construction.

This project milestone follows on from the recently launched first stage of the procurement process as West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) issued expression of interests to seek a development partner to bring this scheme forward. WNC is now in the process of reviewing interest from potential developers.

WNC were granted £9.7 million of government funding through the Town Fund scheme towards the project which has funded the acquisition of the building and the necessary preparation works. The Towns Fund is part of the Government’s plan for Levelling Up the UK economy and the Council has secured £24.9 million to invest into transforming Northampton’s Town Centre.

Councillor Dan Lister, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Town Centre Regeneration and Growth at WNC, said: "By removing all asbestos and carrying out the necessary deconstruction of the current buildings we can provide a clear site ready for the developers.

“Ensuring that Northampton is a place where residents and businesses can thrive is a significant priority for us as a council, and the redevelopment of both Wood Street and 35-45 Abington Street will transform this area for our communities.

“Through the densification of the site, it will bring forward new homes and flexible leisure space and which will lead to increased footfall into the centre to support the existing retail offer within the wider town.”

The wider regeneration of Northampton Town Centre includes the Market Square redevelopment and public realm works in Abington Street and Fish Street, which will see the area transformed with new paving, improved seating, lighting and landscaping, and public art installations.