Residents' association ‘cautiously optimistic’ about homes scheme at historic tram depot site
The West unitary cabinet will tonight move ahead with development plans for the St James depot site
By Sarah Ward
The Northampton residents’ association which has long campaigned to safeguard a historic transport depot, says it is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about redevelopment plans.
West Northamptonshire Council’s Conservative cabinet will likely make a decision tonight to move ahead with plans to remediate the site at St James, which dates back to the early 1900s.
The authority has received £1.37m in funding from the government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund to bring the site up to a development ready stage, although the details of which contractors are being considered to carry out the works is being kept private.
As NN Journal reported in September, the authority had appointed Studio Egret West, who are also behind the masterplan designs for the proposed Greyfriars development, to come up with the housing scheme. A decision on which developer will build the homes has not yet been made. The authority says a scheme must be devised that does not require additional funding from itself.
The plan is for 91 homes on the site, and the former transport office, which has Grade II listed status will remain.
Graham Croucher, chair of St James Spencer Residents Association said meetings had taken place recently with the council’s regeneration team.
He said:
“We are cautiously optimistic about these development plans for St James bus depot. Cautious, because nothing is guaranteed yet other than the protection of the now listed office buildings. We remain optimistic because WNC have said it is their absolute"intention" to preserve the frontages of the oldest parts of the building which we maintain should absolutely be retained and all efforts should be made to make up any funding short fall that threaten the retention of the structure.
“It is our local history, it’s a key part of Northampton's development story. Whomever wins the local elections can be assured that we will continue to fight for the protection of this historic building. We thank WNC for their continued dialogue with us and access to the building to salvage any remaining items of historical interest."
The plan is to retain some of the architectural heritage of the site, yet the historical tram faces may be lost if it proves too costly.
The report to be considered by councillors tonight says:
“While the masterplan has accounted for the retention of the tram facades, this impacts the viability of the site given the cost of enforcing and retaining the structures given their current condition. Through the procurement process for a development partner to develop out the site, if the scheme cannot stack up in terms of viability, then the facades might have to be removed. The development partner procurement process needs to remain flexible to allow for developers to identify the optimal design of the site that is still of quality but doesn’t require grant funding from the council.”
The authority has said next steps will be to have a light strip out of the Grade II listed Transport offices and asbestos removal. The roof coverings on the original section of the tram depot will be removed, although the roof structure and the internal walls will remain.
The 20th century bus depot extension will be demolished.
Cllr Dan Lister, cabinet member for local economy has said:
“This redevelopment is a fantastic opportunity to transform a gateway site into Northampton Town Centre and it will complement the wider regeneration of our town. By revitalising the St James Depot site, we are not only preserving the historical significance of the Transport Office but also creating much-needed housing and boosting the local economy. We are committed to overcoming the challenges and delivering a project that benefits our residents and the wider community.”
The 4.5 acre site has stood empty since 2013. It was purchased by Church’s Shoes from First Bus for £1.62m with assistance from the former Northampton Borough Council, and then sold onto the authority last year for a price of around £3.2m.
The cabinet meeting takes place at 6pm tonight and we report the outcome in this week’s Friday brief
