Prominent disused listed building in Northampton to be sold by council to boot and shoe maker
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has assured that lessons have been learnt from the sale and re-purchase of the old St James Bus Depot, as it enters a similar arrangement in selling off another derelict town centre building to a luxury shoe manufacturer.
Listed building Horizon House, off the St Peter’s Way roundabout, has been given the go-ahead to be sold to boot and shoe maker John Lobb who want to create a new site for factory operations.
The now-defunct Northampton Borough Council first purchased the property in 2017 looking to provide a new headquarters for Northampton Partnership Homes. The site has remained vacant for many years and has since fallen into a state of disrepair.
John Lobb approached the authority to ask about purchasing the site and bringing it back into use in late 2023.
At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (October 8) scrutinising the decision, the deputy leader of the Labour Group, Councillor Bob Purser, compared the Horizon House sale to the “old bus garage debacle”. He asked the cabinet if the council had “learnt the lessons” from the unfulfilled bus depot plans.
The former Northampton Borough Council sold the St James Bus Depot in 2014 to shoe firm Church’s, who planned to expand their operations into the large site. A decade later, the former bus garage remained bordered up and plans were never submitted by the shoe manufacturer.
WNC bought the site back last year, at a loss, for £3.3 million with the intention to convert it into ‘high-quality’ homes.
Councillor Daniel Lister, portfolio holder for local economy, culture and leisure, said that the council had learnt from its previous venture. He added that the buyback is “correct” so that WNC would be able to purchase Horizon House back at the purchase price if needed.
He said that the John Lobb project was supported by several factors, including the sale price matching the independent market valuation, the creation of jobs, the preservation of the listed building’s heritage and strengthening Northampton’s position in the luxury footwear industry.
The cabinet voted to give the relevant directors and cabinet members the power to sell the site and enter into any documentation required.