Jackson’s Lane car park, Wellingborough - clarification of the current position

26 February 2026

Following the recent decision by the council’s Executive to declare certain sites across North Northamptonshire as surplus assets, the council are today providing some clarification around one of the sites.

Jackson’s Lane in Wellingborough was included in the report as part of a wider review of assets. Declaring a site as surplus is the first step in considering the next steps for a site and allows the council to explore options for its future use.

We understand the concerns in the community and want to confirm that the intention has always been that a proportion of the site would be retained for public car parking to support surrounding businesses and the local economy. This intention was included in the Executive report.

The Jackson’s Lane area included in the report considered the site as a whole, including a large section of vacant land off Derek Hooton Way. This part of the site has long suffered from persistent antisocial behaviour and trespass. The council have tried all reasonable means to address this, but it is now recognised that a change in the site’s layout and use is needed to provide a long-term solution which also helps with any wider regeneration plans for the town centre.

Now that the council’s Executive have approved the site as surplus, we will be shortly seeking to engage with the market to gauge the different types of interest there is in the site and how we could work with any interested parties on a design for the site that combines regeneration with a local parking provision.

Decisions around asset disposal do not usually require public consultation, unless there is a statutory duty to do so. But as part of any proposal, we would be keen to provide pre-engagement with communities and via stakeholders (where possible and reasonable) ahead of the submission of any planning application. Any developer would also need to go through the planning process, which includes significant formal consultation. 

While the council is required to secure best value for any future sale, it is equally focused on ensuring that any proposal will deliver long-term benefits for the wider town including retaining parking provision within the site.