Three historic Wellingborough town centre buildings could be brought back into full use under a refurbishment scheme going before senior councillors on 14 July 2026. North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive will decide whether to approve £3.8 million of works to Swanspool House, Croyland Hall and Croyland Abbey, with the aim of accommodating council and children’s trust staff while cutting long-term maintenance bills.
The package splits into £2.2 million for the 1759-built Swanspool House and its annex, and £1.6 million for the Grade 2 listed Croyland Hall and Abbey. Both Croyland buildings have stood empty since the former borough council vacated them in 2011, while Swanspool House currently holds only a small team. Once completed, Swanspool House will mainly house staff from Northamptonshire Children’s Trust. “This is a significant investment in some of Wellingborough’s most important buildings, ensuring they remain fit for purpose for many years to come,” said Cllr Ken Harrington, Executive Member for Assets, Waste and Environmental Services.
Keeping Croyland Hall and Abbey vacant costs the council roughly £21,000 a year in repairs, maintenance and alarm monitoring. The planned works—covering mechanical and electrical systems, accessibility, heating, lighting, plus roof and window repairs—are designed to bring the buildings up to modern standards, reduce energy use and discourage anti-social behaviour. Work is expected to start in spring 2027. Council leader Cllr Martin Griffiths described empty unused buildings as “unattractive” and often “subject to anti-social behaviour and other criminal behaviour,” adding that the sites “hold key positions within Wellingborough town centre.”
The refurbishment forms an early strand of the new Wellingborough Masterplan, which emerged after an independent review picked the town as offering the greatest scope for regeneration among Corby, Kettering and Rushden. The council also chose to retain its Wellingborough properties rather than lease external office space on Sheep Street, a reversal of a 2024 asset disposal programme that had earmarked several buildings for sale. A former Conservative deputy leader, Cllr Helen Howell, questioned whether the £3.8 million budget commitment made in February 2026 had received sufficient scrutiny, but the current administration insists the works avoid costly leases while preserving heritage.
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