Fifth NCP city centre car park set to close

Another National Car Parks (NCP) site in Leicester city centre is set to close with the loss of 646 parking spaces.

Leicester City Council said it had been informed the car park in St Nicholas Circle would cease operating from midnight on Thursday.

The parking operator went into administration in March.

The St Nicholas Circle closure follows a decision by NCP's administrator, PwC, to shut car parks at Lee Circle, Rutland Street, Abbey Street and East Street on 27 March.

The latest closure will mean more than 3,000 NCP spaces will have been lost in the city centre.

A city council spokesperson said: "The administrator for NCP has informed us that St Nicholas Circle car park will close from midnight on Thursday 16 April.

"Drivers are advised that there remains plenty of capacity in other nearby car parks, including those operated by Highcross, close to St Nicholas Circle.

"We understand that the private owners of some of the former NCP sites are in ongoing commercial discussions with other potential operators interested in taking over the sites.

"We are very hopeful this will result in a positive outcome."

Opposition councillors have urged the council to step in itself and take over some of the disused NCP sites.

However, the city's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said he was reluctant for the authority to take on loss-making operations.

A spokesperson for the firm's administrators, PwC, said it had not been possible to reach agreements to enable the continued operation of the car park.

They said: "The joint administrators have been engaging with key stakeholders, including landlords, to assess the business and improve the viability of as many sites as possible.

"Following the closure of a number of commercially unviable sites on 27 March, it has not been possible to reach agreements to enable the continued operation of a further four loss-making sites.

"All other car parks remain open to customers."

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