Topping out at Vulcan Works

Significant progress has been made on Northampton Borough Council’s new Vulcan Works development which will provide managed workspaces for creative businesses.

The £14 million town centre scheme is repurposing a collection of derelict industrial buildings between Guildhall Road, Angel Street, Fetter Street and St John’s Street, along with two new-build elements.

A topping out ceremony will take place today [Wednesday 29 January] at the Angel Street element where steelwork is now complete and the façade well under way.

Work is also almost complete on the replacement roof for the Fetter Street buildings with just a skylight left to install, and foundations for the new building at St John’s Street are in place with steelwork started

Cllr Tim Hadland, Northampton Borough Council member for regeneration and enterprise, said: “This scheme will make a very exciting addition to our Cultural Quarter which is going from strength to strength.

“The extended and revamped museum is set to open in the coming months and by the end of this year we will be opening the creative hub at Vulcan Works.

“Add to these the theatres and Northampton Filmhouse at Royal & Derngate, NN Arts Collective, the Rennie Mackintosh house at 78 Derngate, and the Guildhall and you have the makings of a regional cultural attraction.”

Peter Horrocks CBE, Chair of SEMLEP, which has contributed £6.3million towards the development through the Local Growth Fund, said: “Northampton has an incredibly strong entrepreneurial business culture and the success of local creative businesses sits at the heart of this.

“By investing in the Vulcan Works development, we are creating high-quality space for business in the creative industries to learn up and support each other and grow their businesses. This is a great opportunity for local employers, local people and the local economy.”

Work on the Guildhall Road element of the development has proven more challenging than anticipated with some of the roof structure in a very poor state, but work is progressing well here too.

The search is now on for an operator following Cabinet approval in November 2019 and appointment is expected this summer.

Small businesses wishing to find out more about accommodation options at Vulcan Works – with units measuring between 16 and 104 metres squared – should email regeneration@northampton.gov.uk or call 01604 837504.