Scrapping of Greyfriars scheme 'an opportunity'

Monday 11 December 2017

Northampton Borough Council's Cabinet last night agreed on a motion to "part ways" with Carter Endurance after the developer said it couldn't deliver on promises for the housing element of the scheme. The old brutalist concrete bus station was demolished in March 2015 and the site has been unused ever since. Conservative council leader Jonathan Nunn said he agreed with many opponents of the original scheme, adding he had concerns over traffic issues and "a bit of risk we hadn't bottomed-out adequately". Northamptonshire's councils are bringing in almost £7m each year through a portfolio of external properties worth more than £90m, figures obtained by the BBC have revealed.The eight local authorities have invested £30m in sites across the county in the last three years alone. "The question is, have they got the skills and understanding to do a good job? Where is the oversight and how expert is that oversight? That's a real challenge, both for local councils and government," he said.