Park will be built on site of former car park

The park will have a castle-themed playground area

A park will be built on the site of a former car park after plans were approved.

The Marefair Heritage Park project includes a children's playground and will be built on the Chalk Lane Car Park site near Northampton railway station.

The government's Towns Fund has agreed to give £1.5m towards the project which will have raised community gardens and a "heritage timeline" that would be lit at night.

Planning documents, submitted by West Northamptonshire Council, said the scheme would "address some of the negative perceptions of this area of the town".

The postern gate at Northampton railway station was all that remained of Northampton Castle

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the Marefair Heritage Park will lie in the shadow of Castle Mound, once the site of the historically significant Northampton Castle.

The origins of the site can be traced back to 1084 and served as the backdrop for numerous parliamentary gatherings in the Middle Ages.

The existing car park will be removed to make way for new green space, a castle-themed playground area, footpaths and a heritage mural to honour the local history.

The castle was damage in 1662 by King Charles II and later used as a court

The council said the car park, in its current state, suffered from anti-social behaviour and claimed the renovation would "unlock the potential" of the site.

It will form part of the wider Heritage Gateway Project aimed at transforming the approach to Northampton town centre from the railway station.

It was approved by planning officers on 14 May and work is due to start on the project in the summer.

It is hoped it will open in spring 2025.