A premium on-street parking zone starts in Northampton town centre on 17 August 2026. Plus the closed car parks, autumn archaeology works and current car park tariffs.
Three things are changing about driving and parking in Northampton this autumn, and two of them cost money. A premium parking zone lands on the town centre’s busiest streets on 17 August. Mayorhold car park has already shut for good. And from 1 September, archaeologists move into Upper Mounts and Newlands, taking roughly 200 spaces out of use until the end of October. Here is what is happening, what it means for where you leave the car, and the routes and tariffs that stay the same.
Premium parking zone: from Monday 17 August 2026
West Northamptonshire Council is introducing a premium on-street parking zone covering some of the most popular on-street parking locations in Northampton town centre, starting Monday 17 August 2026.
The mechanism is a higher tariff on the streets that fill up first, with the aim of pushing some of that demand out to nearby streets and car parks that usually have space. The council’s stated reason is congestion caused by circling drivers rather than revenue.
How to tell whether you are in it: the machines are colour coded. Premium zone machines are painted red. Standard machines stay black. Charges are displayed on the machine itself, so check before you pay rather than assuming the rate you paid last month still applies.
Cllr Richard Butler, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “Some areas are in very high demand and can become full quickly, while there is often capacity in nearby locations. By encouraging drivers to use a wider range of parking options, we can help make spaces easier to find and reduce congestion caused by people driving around looking for parking.” (West Northamptonshire Council)
Mayorhold car park: closed since 20 July
Mayorhold multi-storey closed on 20 July 2026 and is not reopening. Crumbling concrete was found on an internal post of the 50-year-old structure, and the council judged it a health and safety risk. It is due to be demolished next year as part of the Greyfriars regeneration.
Cllr John Slope said: “There is ample parking elsewhere and the advice for regular uses of Mayorhold car park is to use one of the alternative sites close by.” (West Northamptonshire Council)
If Mayorhold was your regular, the nearest substitutes of comparable size are Grosvenor multi-storey (810 spaces) and St Michael’s multi-storey (464 spaces).
Upper Mounts and Newlands: 1 September to end of October
Archaeological investigations start at both car parks on 1 September 2026 and are expected to finish by the end of October, with the council hoping to reopen the spaces before Christmas. The digging is a precondition of the Greyfriars scheme, which is the largest brownfield site in Northampton and whose first phase is to deliver more than 100 homes plus a community garden and improved pedestrian and cycle links via Victoria Street.
| Car park | Spaces affected | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Mounts | About 160 | Trenching, 1 Sep to end Oct |
| Newlands | 36 | Survey work, 1 Sep to end Oct |
| Mayorhold | All | Closed permanently, 20 July 2026 |
| Grosvenor multi-storey | 810 | Open, suggested alternative |
| St Michael's multi-storey | 464 | Open 24 hours, suggested alternative |
| Campbell Square | 28 | Open 24 hours, suggested alternative |
Cllr Kamala Guliyeva said the “short-term inconvenience will help unlock substantial long-term benefits for Northampton.” (West Northamptonshire Council)
What the town centre car parks cost
These are the council’s own tariffs, Monday to Friday up to 6pm. Blue Badge holders and motorcycles park free at all of them.
| Car park | Spaces | Up to 1 hour | All day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grosvenor multi-storey | 810 | £1.10 | £8.80 |
| St John's multi-storey | 485 | £1.40 | £11.20 |
| St Michael's multi-storey | 464 | £1.10 | £6.60 |
| Upper Mounts | 310 | £1.40 | £11.20 |
| Commercial Street | 250 | £1.10 | £8.80 |
| Midsummer Meadow | 126 | £1.40 | £11.20 |
| Marefair | 83 | £1.10 | £6.60 |
| Albion Place | 71 | £1.40 | £11.20 |
| Doddridge Street | 71 | £1.10 | £8.80 |
| Newlands | 59 | £1.10 | £8.80 |
| Market Street | 44 | £1.10 | £6.60 |
| Campbell Square | 28 | £1.40 | £11.20 |
| Abington Place | 26 | £1.10 | £6.60 |
The pattern is worth reading before you drive in. St Michael’s multi-storey is the cheapest large car park in the town centre at £6.60 all day, £4.60 less than St John’s for the same day and only a few minutes further out. Marefair, Market Street and Abington Place match that £6.60 rate but are much smaller.
The A45 and the roads around town
The A45 Northampton Growth Management Scheme is the long-running programme reshaping the town’s southern and eastern ring. It covers seven junctions between M1 Junction 15 and the Great Billing interchange: M1 Junction 15, Wootton, Queen Eleanor, Brackmills, Barnes Meadow, Lumbertubs and Great Billing.
The first of those, Queen Eleanor interchange, was completed on 19 March 2026, almost a year after work started on 31 March 2025. It was originally due to finish in December 2025; uncharted utility services and unexpected hard sandstone bedrock pushed it into spring. The finished junction has three-lane widening across the bridge structures and approaches, new traffic signals with MOVA detection, CCTV, drainage and resurfacing. The remaining six junctions are phased, so expect this to be a recurring feature of A45 journeys for some years.
North of the town, the North West Relief Road opened on 17 December 2025. The £57.4 million route links the A428 Harlestone Road with the A5199 Welford Road near the Windhover, and it is the main alternative to driving through Kingsthorpe if you are crossing the north of Northampton.
Potholes and resurfacing
The council published its road maintenance position on 7 August 2026. In the year from May 2025 it resurfaced 106,600 square metres, more than double the previous year, while pothole reports rose 42% over the same period. Its own estimate of what it would take to bring the whole network up to standard is about £300 million.
Cllr Richard Butler said: “By continuing to prioritise preventative maintenance, targeting investment where it will have the greatest impact and focusing on long-term asset management rather than short-term reactions, we can make steady and sustainable improvements.” (West Northamptonshire Council)
The practical reading is that resurfacing is being concentrated on the routes that carry the most traffic, so residential streets will wait.
Checking what is live today
Roadworks change weekly and no page can stay ahead of them. These are the sources that are current on the day:
- one.network maps live and planned street works across the whole country, including West Northamptonshire’s permits. Search by postcode.
- National Highways road closure report for the M1 and the trunk sections of the A45 and A43, which National Highways manages rather than the council.
- West Northamptonshire Council roadworks for council-managed roads and to report a defect.
If you are heading to London rather than around town, the train is usually the better answer: see Northampton train times to London for times, season ticket costs and the 866-space station car park.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Northampton premium parking zone start?
Monday 17 August 2026, on some of the busiest on-street parking locations in the town centre. Premium machines are painted red; standard machines remain black, and charges are shown on the machine.
Why has Mayorhold car park closed?
Crumbling concrete was found on an internal post of the 50-year-old structure. It shut on 20 July 2026 and will be demolished next year as part of the Greyfriars regeneration.
Which Northampton car park is cheapest for a full day?
St Michael’s multi-storey at £6.60 is the cheapest of the large ones. Marefair, Market Street, Melbourne Street and Abington Place match that rate but are much smaller.
Is Upper Mounts car park closed?
About 160 spaces are out of use from 1 September to the end of October 2026 for archaeological trenching, with Newlands losing 36. The council hopes to reopen them before Christmas.
Is the Queen Eleanor interchange finished?
Yes. It was completed on 19 March 2026 after almost a year of work. Six more A45 junctions are still to come under the same programme.
Sources
- Premium parking zone to be introduced in Northampton town centre, West Northamptonshire Council.
- Decision to close Mayorhold car park, West Northamptonshire Council.
- Archaeological investigations to begin at Upper Mounts and Newlands car parks, West Northamptonshire Council.
- Investing in better roads for the long term, West Northamptonshire Council, 7 August 2026.
- Council car parks in Northampton town for tariffs and space counts.
- Major highways projects, West Northamptonshire Council, for the A45 Northampton Growth Management Scheme.
- West Northamptonshire Council opens North West Relief Road.
Tariffs, closures and dates change at short notice. Check one.network or the council before you travel.
Have your say
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