Council set to discuss sale of land for new diagnostics centre

05 August 2026

North Northamptonshire Council looks set to sell a site in Wellingborough to University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Group for the development of a new medical centre.

The council owns an undeveloped site on the Park Farm Industrial Estate which has already been identified as surplus in May 2026 and Councillors will be asked to approve plans to sell the site to the NHS. 

UHN is exploring opportunities to expand access to planned care and diagnostic services for patients across Northamptonshire.

The site on the Park Farm Industrial Estate is the preferred site and is currently being assessed by UHN for its feasibility to accommodate future healthcare facilities, including an elective surgical hub and a new community diagnostic centre. The project remains at an early stage. Any future development would be subject to detailed feasibility assessments, business cases and the relevant approvals process which UHN is actively progressing.

As a council we have a responsibility to bring any surplus assets, in this case a plot of land, back into use for wider social and economic benefits.

It is hoped that the sale, if approved, would help towards delivering improved health facilities for residents, alongside job opportunities.Cllr Ken Harrington, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Assets, Waste and Environmental Services

Our ambition for Wellingborough is to create a modern healthcare hub that brings more care closer to home for local people. By bringing together diagnostics and elective surgery in an accessible community location, we can deliver faster diagnosis, quicker treatment and more joined-up care, while easing pressure on our hospital sites and helping tackle health inequalities across Northamptonshire. The development will support our wider vision of providing high-quality care in the communities we serve, making it easier for people to access the services they need, when they need them.Polly Grimmett, Director of Strategy at University Hospitals of Northamptonshire

The NHS would need to apply for planning permission to build the community diagnostic centre and elective surgical hub, with any new facilities due to open in 2028.  

North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will meet on Tuesday 11 August at the Corby Cube and the papers are available online. The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube.