£12m STACK Northampton project delayed – developers say August start was ‘a little ambitious’ and won’t commit to exact date

Both West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) deputy leader Councillor James Petter and STACK had said last month that works were due to start in August, but as of August 28, the site remains untouched.

When asked by the Chronicle & Echo this week if work had begun on site, STACK admitted the project had been pushed back – saying they were "a little ambitious” with the timescales.

However, STACK say they “will be on site imminently” but “don’t want to commit to an exact date”.

A spokeswoman for STACK said: “We’re really excited to be bringing STACK to Northampton, but as with many large-scale regeneration projects, there have been a number of factors which have pushed back our original programme.

“Some of the delays we’ve experienced on other developments have had a knock-on effect here, and in hindsight, our original timescales for having everything in place to start on site were a little ambitious. There have also been some essential steps that had to be completed before work could begin, and these have taken longer than expected.

“The good news is that much of this groundwork is now complete, and we do believe we’ll be on site imminently. At this stage, however, we don’t want to commit to an exact date until works are physically underway. We know there’s a lot of excitement in the town for this scheme, and we share that enthusiasm. STACK Northampton will be worth the wait.”

The regeneration scheme is already a year behind schedule. An initial start date was set for summer 2024 with a planned summer 2025 opening. The latest information on WNC’s website states the opening is not expected until summer 2026.

WNC, which is backing the project with £4.175 million from the Towns Fund, also acknowledged the delays but said work is “close to starting on site”.

A council spokesman said: “We’re thrilled to be working with STACK to transform the vacant Market Walk shopping centre into a dynamic hub offering food and entertainment in the heart of Northampton. While some preparatory steps have taken longer than expected, works are close to starting on site. This is a key regeneration project for the town, and we look forward to seeing this progress.”

The scheme will see the shopping centre, which closed in 2021, transformed into a mixed-use venue with a food hall, bar areas, retail units, and a lower ground floor for live music, fitness events and family activities.

The project is backed by £4.175 million from the Towns Fund alongside £8 million from STACK, and is expected to create around 250 jobs when open. Proposed opening hours are 8am to 2.30am daily.