Your input, shaping Greyfriars’ future

During the 2025 engagement, a huge number of Northamptonians took part and gave feedback. Thank you to everyone who responded to our survey or shared their thoughts with us.

The feedback received has helped shape the design and priorities for the Greyfriars site.

info Click on the map markers to read some of the comments we received during the previous Community Conversation.

What did you tell us?

1. Homes that meet local need: you wanted smaller houses and apartments, genuinely affordable homes across all tenures and less emphasis on student accommodation.
   
   We are: reviewing the mix, tenure and size of homes to prioritise family housing and low-rise apartments, as well as endeavouring to deliver affordable homes where we can.


2. Safer, more sustainable travel: you were broadly supportive of the highways proposals, while raising honest concerns about parking and disruption during construction, and the need for better public transport, walking and cycling.
   
   We are: working closely with mobility organisations to shape improvements to active and sustainable travel routes and finding ways to phase our plans to minimise disruption and impact on parking.


3. Greener, more welcoming public spaces: you want more planting, gardens, and open space, alongside cafes, shops and community uses that make the area feel lively and welcoming.
   
   We are: exploring opportunities to open up Corn Exchange and West Island earlier in our delivery with meanwhile uses to allow people to enjoy public and cultural spaces sooner rather than later.

Map Key

	Greyfriars development area
	Feedback received during 2025 Community Conversation

What is happening and when?

Our focus is to deliver for the people of Northampton – so the proposals have been carefully considered, allowing a staged approach to implementation.

This means benefits that are important to you, such as new affordable homes and green, public spaces can be prioritised ahead of wider infrastructure changes, all whilst keeping a clear vision to regeneration for the whole of Greyfriars.

What is a hybrid planning application?

A hybrid application is when certain elements or areas of a masterplan are submitted in full detail, ready for delivery, whilst the rest is submitted in ‘outline’, which focuses on the agreement of a development in principle, with detail to come at a later stage.

Our hybrid application will be submitted this Autumn which will ask for permission for:

• Plot 1 of the development and the associated infrastructure in detail
• The remainder of the project plots (2-6) in outline

This means we can start on site and get delivering the first part of our plans whilst the remaining phases have their details fixed, subject to further approvals.

We anticipate that physical works and changes to infrastructure could start from 2027, to begin to deliver more public realm and prioritise the movement and connectivity of people to the town centre, and get homes ready for occupation from 2029 onwards.

This is a large, long-term project and future phases of development could take up to 10 years to fully implement. This is typical for this type and scale of project, and we are committed to bringing positive change to this part of Northampton.

Map Key

	Detailed proposal: Plot 1
	Outline proposal: Plots 2 - 6

Prioritising Much Needed New Homes

Greyfriars is a residential-led vision. Our ambition for the full masterplan is to build up to 1,200 new homes, across a range of densities, typologies and tenures to suit the needs of Northampton.

Plot 1 will be delivered first, with around 100 new homes to be built over the next three years. This area currently comprises the Upper Mounts car park, Newlands car park, and the disused land between the two.

The site acts as a key gateway within the Greyfriars regeneration area, linking the new neighbourhood with the existing town centre to the south and west. We want to create a welcoming first impression, with clear routes for walking, strong connections to public transport, and active buildings facing onto well‑designed public spaces.

What will Plot 1 deliver?

Plot 1 will deliver around 100 one- to four-bed homes, which will be a mixture of townhouses, maisonettes and apartments. We will endeavour to deliver homes as affordable, with the exact amount and tenure types agreed with the Council and through the planning process.

info The map shows the proposals for Plot 1. Click on the map markers to read further detail about the types of homes that we plan to deliver here.

Pedestrian and cycle access has been prioritised, with enhanced connections, upgraded crossings, and safe cycle storage for homes. All residents will be able to enjoy a large community garden, with some having access to private gardens. Safe, surface level parking will be provided for residents, in line with Council policy.

Map Key

	Greyfriars development area
	Plot 1 development area
	Illustrative Plot 1 massing
	Plot 1 proposals
	Illustrative images of the proposals
	Vehicle access
	Dedicated cycle route
	Informal cycle route
	Pedestrian movement
	Indicative bike store locations

Delivering Reinvigorated Public Spaces

We are creating a vibrant, connected public realm at the centre of the masterplan, putting people first and bringing new life, activity and green space into the town.

Shaped by your ideas, these spaces will support everyday use, community events and cultural activity, both now and in the future. Together, West Island and the Corn Exchange will create a lively, welcoming destination at the heart of Greyfriars.

West Island

West Island is currently an inaccessible space that sits between Lady’s Lane and Greyfriars and we want to open it up and provide much needed, open green space for everyone to enjoy.

In 2025, we asked you to suggest ideas for how this space can be used, whilst the project is being constructed and in its final form.

Many of you said you would like to see:

• gardens, planting and open space
• events and activity spaces, such as music and outdoor screenings
• popup stalls and community facilities

Considering these ideas, we see the potential to transform this space into the beating heart of our masterplan, becoming a vibrant new public space for all to enjoy.

The plans include significant landscaping improvements with trees and planting, with social spaces to sit and enjoy the space, with areas of play, connected into the rest of the town centre through improved connections on Emporium Way and Sheep Street.

info Click on the map markers to view illustrative images of how the Corn Exchange and West Island could look.

Corn Exchange

Directly to the south of West Island is another central part of our vision - to bring the historic Corn Exchange back into use. This iconic building is part of Northampton’s cultural legacy but has been empty for over a decade and is in a deteriorating state of decay.

We see the potential for the Corn Exchange to become a cultural anchor, as a new performance, creative and leisure destination. Breathing new life into the existing building we can transform this space into a place where the community can come together for events, performances, activities and experiences, that can spill out into the surrounding public spaces and open up the north-south connection from Market Square into the future of Greyfriars.

The building is a Grade II listed structure and is currently in a poor condition, meaning it will require time‑consuming repair work before it can reach any long‑term future use as a cultural venue.

Bringing the building back to life will be an iterative process, with careful investigation, repair and restoration taking place over a number of years. However, we are keen to explore opportunities to introduce beneficial, short‑term uses in parts of the building that are safe and suitable, while wider repair works continue. This means we can re-introduce activity in the Corn Exchange as early as possible, helping reconnect the building while its long‑term future is secured.

Map Key

	Greyfriars development area
	Illustrative images of the proposals

Delivering New & Improved Connections

Greyfriars was once closely connected to Market Square, which has been the heart of trade and daily life in the city for more than 800 years. Well used routes ran north to south through the area, helping people move easily through the city.

Today, those connections have been lost, and the space feels cut off – so our plan is to restitch Greyfriars and form stronger connections into the rest of the town centre.

Our vision

This project is about putting people first and making the town centre easier, safer and more enjoyable to move around.

At the moment, Greyfriars is dominated by traffic, with poor connections, unused spaces and streets that feel unwelcoming. Our proposals aim to change that by rethinking how streets, spaces and movement work together.

We want to create a town centre that is:

• Easy to move around: clear, direct and safe routes for walking and cycling, with stronger links to public transport.
• Safer and more welcoming: less traffic and fewer vehicles in key areas, creating calmer, people-friendly spaces.
• Greener and better connected: more trees, planting and public spaces bringing nature into the town and creating places to sit, meet and spend time.
• Proud of its heritage: celebrating historic streets and buildings, strengthening local character and supporting businesses.

What are we going to do?

We will create better, high-quality public spaces with safer and more inviting routes, through a variety of interventions, such as closing Greyfriars to most traffic and reopening routes such as Emporium Way.

info Zoom in and click on the map markers to read further details about our proposed infrastructure improvements and to view illustrative images of how these could look.

Reducing traffic dominance in the area will improve street quality and make it easier to walk and cycle, with wider pavements, safer crossings, and a protected cycle route through the site.

Dedicated bus priority measures will improve bus journeys, with better links to the bus station and surrounding streets. Secure cycle parking locations and a new mobility hub, for car clubs and electric vehicle charging, will support modern travel choices.

Map Key

	Greyfriars development area
	Proposed infrastructure improvements
	Illustrative images of the proposals
	Main pedestrian routes
	Secondary pedestrian routes
	Tertiary pedestrian routes
	Pedestrian crossings
	Cycle route
	Shared cycleway
	Two-way bus route
	Single way bus route
	Shared surface bus route

Bringing the future of Greyfriars to Life

Greyfriars is a long‑term regeneration project that will be delivered in stages. Following Plot 1, the rest of the masterplan (Plots 2–6) will come forward in phases.

At this stage, we are seeking only outline planning consent for these phases which means agreeing the overall vision, principles and uses now, with the detail for each phase brought forward through future applications as plans are finalised.

Factors such as height, scale and massing all get agreed at the outline stage, which is key to the future of success of our plans. Delivering around 1,200 new homes across six plots is a big undertaking, but concentrating homes at this scale brings more people into the heart of Northampton, helping to generate the footfall, activity and spending needed to support local shops, cafés, services and cultural venues throughout the day and evening.

Higher‑density living makes better use of this brownfield town centre site, reducing pressure to build on green spaces elsewhere, while supporting more sustainable travel and local businesses.

Approach to scale & skyline

Our proposals include reduced scale towards the centre of the site around West Island and increasing scale towards the Eastern & Western edges of the site, creating two new ‘gateway’ buildings.

This ‘bowl-effect’ preserves views of the Holy Sepulchre Church and All Saints Church located to the north and south of the site, alongside providing much needed homes in the town centre.

In response to the market town setting, the masterplan also proposes an ‘undulating’ roof-line approach, which creates variety and interest to the emerging skyline of Northampton.

info Click on the map markers to view our scale & massing diagram, and to read further detail about how we will bring the future phases of Greyfriars to life.

By building up rather than out, the scheme helps create a lively, well‑connected neighbourhood that strengthens the town centre.

This will be achieved through a mixture of new commercial and creative spaces to support jobs, and reinvigorated and new community and cultural venues attracting people into the area. A mix of modern, high-quality homes, and more trees, safe routes and planting, will make for a friendlier, more welcoming town centre.

Together, these phases will help complete the transformation of Greyfriars into a connected, vibrant and inclusive part of Northampton – a place designed for life now and into the future.

Map Key

	Plans for future phases
	Approach to scale & skyline

Have your say

Thank you for reading our plans and helping us re-stitch Greyfriars into a place we can all be proud of.

We would now love to hear from you, to understand how you feel about the area and what you think about our plans. The survey should only take 5-10 minutes to complete.

info Click on the button below to answer the survey, or click the icon on the map.

Make sure to share your thoughts before Sunday 24 May 2026.

The survey also gives you the opportunity to sign up as a Greyfriars Project Partner, which will ensure you receive updates from us as the project progresses through these exciting next steps.

We already have over 1,000 people and organisations signed up – why don’t you join us?

Map Key

Have your say

Restitching Greyfriars

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