Works to transform former Northampton shopping centre into £12 million entertainment and leisure hub set to begin soon, say developers

The highly anticipated STACK development, to be built at the former Market Walk shopping centre, is set to start this spring.

The development aims to transform the former Market Walk shopping centre, which closed in 2021, into a mixed-use venue featuring entertainment, retail, and leisure spaces.

Plans for the site include a lower ground floor dedicated to entertainment ventures such as children’s activities, fitness events, and live music. Bar areas, food hall operators, and retail units will also feature in the redesigned space, which aims to cater to all ages and interests, according to WNC.

A STACK spokeswoman said: “We are continuing to work through the necessary pre-commencement conditions and remain confident that works will commence on-site this Spring.

"The initial phase will involve a soft strip of the interiors, followed by a more structural strip-out to reshape the building in preparation for its transformation into STACK Northampton.

“Given the scale of the transformation and the need to work with the existing structure, we aren’t working to fixed public timelines at this stage. Our priority is to get it right, and we’ll be keeping the public updated at key milestones along the way.

“We will also be identifying opportunities for media visits during key points in the process, ensuring we can share regular progress updates once the reshaping works are underway.”

Originally set to open in summer 2025, the project is now expected to be completed and open in summer 2026, according to West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) website. Neither party has ever explained the reasons behind the delay.

Works were initially supposed to begin immediately after the completion of the Market Square redevelopment, according to WNC. In July, WNC even stated it was “all systems go” for STACK construction to begin in October, in line with the expected completion of Market Square works.

In terms of funding, WNC is contributing £4.175 million from the Towns Fund, while STACK is investing an additional £8 million into the project.

The proposed opening hours are 8am to 2.30am on any given day, allowing the centre to contribute to both the daytime and nighttime economy. The new facility will also create around 250 jobs, according to the applicant Minhoco 76 Limited.

A WNC spokesman previously told this newspaper: “If you look at STACK around the country, what they’ve done for their environments and their town centres, it brings a lot of investment and other shops along with it. The big question that we’re asked is, will the big development kill the town centre? Well, actually, if you look at Sunderland, Lincoln, and Carlisle, it’s brought more investment along with it. I’m very positive that in the short term, we’ll start to see empty, vacant units come forward [into use]. We’re creating the environment to do business, we’re attracting more people in, which will start to bring more attention from the nationals [retailers] as well as the local businesses.”