Trust granted lease to restore stable yard at Northampton's Delapré Abbey

Northampton Borough Council has granted a lease to the trust in charge of the Delapre Abbey restoration to enable it to develop the former stable yard.

Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust (DAPT) will be granted a lease on the yard complex adjoining the main Abbey buildings, following agreement by Northampton Borough Council’s cabinet.

Council leader, Councillor Jonathan Nunn, said: “We felt that this would be an excellent use for the stable yard buildings, offering visitors a greater range of attractions at Delapré.

“We have a fantastic community asset here and the restoration of the abbey itself was always intended to be a first phase that the trust would be able to build on.

“There are still some formalities to complete and the trust will need to identify funding for the project, and this initial step makes that possible.”

The abbey fully reopened last March after a lengthy renovation project that was funded by Northampton Borough Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and several other sources.

Cabinet has agreed to support the further development of the attraction by agreeing to hand the stable yard over a 25-year lease on a peppercorn rent, allowing the trust to seek funding for the project.

The move will also allow the council to draw down an extra £1.4 million, which remains outstanding from the HLF grant.