Two council housing projects in Northampton completed despite series of delays
West Northamptonshire Council has suffered a series of delays to its intended council housing projects, meaning just seven social homes were built until December in the last financial year.
However, building works on two major council housing schemes in Northampton have now been completed.
Construction at the former Spring Boroughs council housing estate, off Horsemarket, and the new Southbridge apartments by the University of Northampton’s waterside campus has now finished, according to Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH).
Before the 52 properties are transferred to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) for allocation, a series of building control and planning department formalities need to be checked. The authority previously stated that both social housing schemes were expected to be completed by December 2024.
Before that, the 24-home development on Castle Street was initially projected to be finished last spring. The modern three-storey homes follow on from the demolition of Berkeley House and St Mary’s Court in April 2021 after they were deemed ‘no longer fit for purpose’.
Works on the new apartment complex on New South Bridge Road, which includes 28 one and two-bed flats, were also delayed. Funding for the project was awarded to the council through the Brownfield Land Release Funding (BLRF) to unlock council-owned sites for housing and cover the costs of remedial works.
An NPH spokesperson said both developments faced “unexpected challenges” during construction. Castle Street, in particular, experienced significant labour shortages and changes in legislation meant certain aspects around compliance needed to be re-visited.
They added: “NPH has been committed to maintaining the delivery of quality homes in Northampton and have worked closely with local contractors to ensure the required standards were met. Contractors are now in a position to hand over the sites to NPH.”
As a result of the delays, NPH has confirmed that some cost implications are anticipated but the total figure has not yet been finalised.
Viability issues impacted number of council homes delivered in 2024/25
Across West Northamptonshire, just seven council homes were delivered between April and December of last year, despite aiming for higher targets. A WNC spokesperson said they had identified viability issues with several large developments, which has “significantly impacted” the number of new council homes delivered this financial year.
The council previously decided to bring control of its major social housing developments back in-house to “secure the best outcomes for our residents and communities”. This includes the delivery of more than 100 apartments at Roof Gardens - the second phase of the Castle Street redevelopment.
The spokesperson added: “We are currently finalising proposals to determine the future direction of these developments, which includes the roof gardens element of the Castle Street site, and a detailed report outlining proposed changes and their financial impact will be presented to Cabinet in summer 2025.
“A new Housing Delivery Board has also been created comprising members from a range of sectors within the housing industry, with the aims of promoting innovative approaches to housing delivery and quality enhancement across West Northants.”
WNC also said it had launched an affordable housing plan at the end of last year, setting out its commitment to accelerate delivery and supply a minimum of 650 affordable homes per year by 2029/30.