A MAJOR car park operator is set to close more than 20 sites this Friday after entering administration earlier this month.
National Car Parks, better known as NCP, has confirmed that 22 car parks across England and Wales will shut permanently on Friday, March 27, after a review found the sites were no longer commercially viable.
The company is one of the biggest car park operators in the UK and has been in operation since 1931.
But NCP has reportedly been under financial pressure for some time, with the business struggling to recover from the lasting effects of the pandemic, particularly as commuting patterns have changed.
Fewer people now travel into offices every day due to home working, hybrid roles and more flexible employment arrangements.
And at the same time, the rise in online shopping is likely to have reduced the number of people driving into town and city centres, weakening demand for parking even further.
NCP employs 682 people and manages around 340 car parks across the UK, including sites in major towns and city centres, as well as near airports, hospitals and transport hubs.
Despite that large national footprint, the business said it no longer had enough cash to meet its financial obligations, leading directors to appoint administrators earlier this month.
Joint administrators from PwC were then appointed to assess which parts of the business could continue operating sustainably and which could not.
Following that review, they concluded that 22 sites were no longer commercially viable and would be closed.
The remaining 318 NCP car parks are expected to stay open, with no further closures identified at this stage.
At this stage, it’s been reported that a small number of jobs will be affected, with a figure of 33 employees set to be made redundant on March 31.
Those workers are expected to be supported through the statutory redundancy payments process.
FULL LIST OF NCP CAR PARKS SET TO CLOSE
- Ashford County Square
- Ashton-under-Lyne Cotton Street
- Banbury Marlborough Road
- Bexley Royal Oak Road
- Birmingham Gough Street
- Bournemouth Hinton Road
- Bristol Nelson Street
- Bromley Travelodge
- Cardiff Dumfries Place
- Eastbourne Trinity Place
- Exeter Market Street
- Grantham Station 1-3
- Hinckley Britannia Shopping Centre
- Ipswich Portman Road
- Leicester Abbey Street
- Leicester East Street
- Leicester Lee Circle
- Leicester Rutland Centre
- London Harley Street
- London Kings Cross St Pancras
- London Knightsbridge
- Luton Regent Street
An NCP spokesperson said: “National Car Parks Limited (NCP) – in administration – 22 sites to close on March 27, while all other sites remain open.
“On Monday, March 16, 2026, Zelf Hussain, Rachael Wilkinson and Toby Banfield of PwC were appointed as Joint Administrators of National Car Parks Limited.
“Following an initial assessment of operations, the joint administrators have identified 22 sites that are commercially unviable and will therefore be closed to customers from 11:59pm on March 27.
“Regrettably, due to the closure of these sites, 33 employees will be made redundant on March 31.
“They will be supported through the statutory redundancy payments process.
“The other 318 car parks remain open and there are no further sites identified for closure at this time.”
And in a recent comment to Sun Motors, Nick Stockley, partner at leading law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter, said NCP’s more profitable sites will likely remain parking venues but with new owners.
He said: “These events show the combined impact of flexible working, cost-of-living challenges and fuel prices, as well as the general fall in high street shopping and increase in delivery services.
“There is also the hope that the public are thinking more green and using more eco-friendly modes of transport.
“NCP’s landlords will want to have new owners taking over both the leases and locations.
“The administrators will also be looking to sell the leases to new owners.
“It is unlikely that there will be any value in the NCP brand name and I would not be surprised if the locations, particularly the town centres, will be of interest to residential property developers.
“The more profitable sites at airports and stations are very likely to remain parking venues but with new owners, which should save some jobs.
“The less profitable sites will be transferred as land sales and this will result in job losses.
“NCP will have wanted the security of long-term leases but that has also been their downfall.
“There will also be the inevitable and significant knock-on impact of unpaid creditors who will also face insolvency.”
Drivers have been warned to still pay their NCP fines after the company collapsed into administration.
Leave a comment