West Northamptonshire Council buys old job centre as part of town revamp

The former job centre purchase is part of West Northamptonshire Council's redevelopment plan to update the town centre

A former job centre building has been bought by a council as part of plans to revamp a county town.

The building in Northampton, which had been vacant for more than a decade, had fallen into disrepair.

It will now be part of West Northamptonshire's redevelopment of the town's centre that includes creating a residential community.

The council said: "We look forward to beginning the next stages of the project to enhance this area."

The site is in the heart of Northampton town centre, behind Abington Street and the Grosvenor Centre.

The £475,000 freehold purchase was funded through the Towns Fund, which is allocated by the government to help councils transform a town centre as part of plans for Levelling Up the UK economy.

West Northamptonshire council is working on redeveloping parts of Abington street

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) secured £24.9m from the fund to invest in its town transformation - which includes the regeneration of the former BHS and Marks & Spencer stores sites.

They will undergo extensive redevelopment to deliver modern leisure or retail spaces to the ground floor, with new homes for resident above.

West Northamptonshire councillor Dan Lister said: "Ensuring that Northampton is a place where residents and businesses can thrive is a significant priority for us."

The works form part of the Northampton town centre masterplan.