Work on £12m leisure hub to begin after delays

Stack will not open until at least 2026

Works to build a £12m entertainment hub in a town centre will get under way next month following delays, a developer said.

The Stack Leisure venue will be built in the old Peacock Place building in Northampton, overlooking the Market Square.

Work on delivering the project was due to start in October, but will now begin in August.

A spokesperson for Stack said the "hugely complex" project had "required a great deal of work behind the scenes before we can begin work on site".

The venue had originally been slated for completion in 2025, but is currently estimated to open in 2026.

A spokesperson for Stack added: "We are at a stage now where we are ready to progress and we are looking to begin the work next month."

Stack Leisure opened a venue in Lincoln opened last year

Stack Leisure said it planned to invest £8m into the project, with a further £4.2m of funding coming from the Reform UK-led West Northamptonshire Council.

Newcastle-based Stack Leisure submitted plans for a retail, food and performance centre in 2023 and the council approved the project at a meeting in March last year.

According to plans, the lower ground floor will largely be given to leisure ventures, such as children's entertainment, fitness events and live music.

Bar areas, food hall operators and retail units will also have a place in the building.

The proposed opening hours for the centre are 08:00 to 02:30 every day and the venue will create about 250 jobs, according to the applicant.

Stack Leisure has already opened similar projects elsewhere in England, including in Lincoln and Seaburn, Sunderland.