Plans for £12m Stack leisure hub delayed by one year

A planned £12m entertainment hub which it is hoped will "transform" a town centre has been delayed by a year.

The Stack Leisure venue is due to be created in the old Peacock Place building in Northampton, overlooking the Market Square.

Work on delivering the project was due to get under way in October, but has yet to start.

Mark Mullen, from the Northampton Business Improvement District, said it was now anticipated for completion in 2026 rather than 2025 as previously planned.

Stack Leisure is due to invest £8m into the project, with a further £4.2m of support from Conservative-controlled West Northamptonshire Council.

Mr Mullen said: "Unfortunately there is a slight delay with Stack. That's down to them, really. They are victims of their own success.

"They have a massive portfolio of plans and expansion opportunities. Every one they've opened so far has had a significant impact on the town they've managed to open it in."

He said the scheme remained "on the cards for next year" and that there was "no reason that [it] shouldn't have the same impact in Northampton that it has had in other locations".

Stack Leisure has been approached for comment.

Newcastle-based Stack Leisure submitted plans for a retail, food and performance centre on the former Market Walk site in 2023 and the council approved the project at a meeting in March last year.

According to plans, the lower ground floor will largely be given to entertainment ventures, such as children's entertainment, fitness events and live music.

Bar areas, food hall operators, and retail units will also have a place in the building.

The proposed opening hours are 08:00 to 02:30 on any given day and the company will also create around 250 jobs, according to the applicant.

Stack Leisure has already opened similar projects elsewhere in England, including in Lincoln and Seaburn.

Stack will move into Market Walk, formerly known as Peacock Place, in Northampton town centre.

Positioned between the Market Square and Abington Street, it was formerly a small indoor shopping centre featuring retailers including a Next store and a cafe.

However, Market Walk closed down in 2021 and the building has been shut to the public ever since.

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