Planning

More Town-Centre Parking Approved for Morpeth as Old Leisure Centre Makes Way

A £1.5m scheme will nearly triple parking at Newmarket West, taking it from 62 to about 170 spaces once the former Riverside Leisure Centre is demolished.

Morpeth.net·9 July 2026

Finding a space in the middle of Morpeth on a busy market day should get a good deal easier. Northumberland County Council's Cabinet has approved a £1.5m scheme to expand parking in the town centre, growing the Newmarket West car park from 62 spaces to around 170 — an increase of 108 spaces, plus ten dedicated motorcycle bays.

The extra room comes from the site of the former Riverside Leisure Centre, which has stood empty for more than three years. That building will be demolished to make way for the enlarged car park, with the two projects timed to follow one another.

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The plan in brief: Newmarket West car park grows from 62 to roughly 170 spaces (+108), plus 10 motorcycle bays. Demolition of the old leisure centre is expected to start in autumn 2026, with construction of the new car park in early 2027.

The council points to steadily rising demand as the reason for the investment. Town-centre parking was already running at around 90% capacity five years ago, with usage projected to climb by roughly 2.7% each year since. For anyone who has circled Sanderson Arcade or the shops on Bridge Street looking for somewhere to leave the car, the pressure will be familiar.

The scheme is about more than tarmac. Plans include a small area of new paving at the southern end of the site, creating an improved public space that faces the River Wansbeck and Carlisle Park. That should soften the edge between the car park and one of the town's best-loved green spaces rather than leaving a bare expanse of parking bays.

The timeline means residents can expect to see hoardings and machinery arrive later this year, with the demolition first and the car-park build following in the new year. Full details of the approval are set out in the council's own announcement.

For a town that has long put its historic centre first — resisting out-of-town retail in favour of keeping trade on the high street — extra parking in the right place is a practical vote of confidence in Morpeth's shops and cafés.

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