Deal to buy derelict £1.25m Desborough factory site collapses
A near 30-year saga surrounding the future of a derelict factory site in Desborough looks to continue after a deal to buy the former Lawrence’s shoe factory site was dropped.
Currently owned by North Northants Council (NNC) – the unitary authority inherited the 2.08-acre site from the disbanded Kettering Borough Council (KBC), which had bought it in 2005 from the then Midland Co-operative Society.
The Central Co-op had been chosen as the preferred buyer when the site was put up for sale for £1.5m in 2023, but the retailer has pulled out the purchase, deciding not to proceed with the deal, and leaving NNC back at square one.
A spokesman for Central Co-op said: “We have recently reviewed our position and following discussions at our capital committee, Central Co-op has decided not to proceed with the purchase of the former Lawrence Factory site in Desborough.
“North Northamptonshire Council and their selling agent has been informed of our decision, and we will continue to engage constructively with the council and other partners to ensure the best possible outcome for the site.”
A long-standing covenant on the land has previously prevented it from being used for retail.
After its purchase by KBC in 2005, supermarket giant Tesco was given permission to build a store there before the scheme collapsed in 2014.
Proposals to build 40 council houses – a scheme that would have cost £9.5m – were paused when Aldi expressed an interest in the site, but were back on when the retailer’s proposal failed to materialise, only for NNC to then decide not to proceed and to sell up instead.
A spokesman for NNC said: “North Northamptonshire Council had been considering the future of the site in Desborough, known locally as the former Lawrence’s factory site, for many years and have previously explored a number of options for the site including housing and retail.
“In 2024, the council identified the site as surplus to requirements and the council’s Executive approved for the site to be marketed on the open market.
“Following a competitive tender process, we chose to proceed with a sale of the Lawrence Factory site in Desborough to the local Co-op group. The due diligence relating to the sale had been progressing well and we were expecting the sale to complete in September.”
They added: “At the end of September, Co-op informed the council that they are no longer able to move forward with the purchase of the site. We understand this is following a change in circumstance earlier this year and following completion of their due diligence on the site.
“This is a complex site, with many challenges, and we will now be reviewing the options open to us to sell this site.”
The restriction was imposed by the Co-op when it previously owned the space, although it has now indicated it maybe willing to lift the measure.
Built around 1837 as a shoe factory, the site contains semi-detached two storey cottages, facing the former A6 Harborough Road and Gladstone Street, and a car park off New Street.
To buy the former Lawrence Shoe Factory – on the market for £1.25m – go to https://www.fishergerman.co.uk/commercial-property-sales/development-potential-land-for-sale-in-former-lawrence-shoe-factory-gladstone-street-desborough-kettering-northamptonshire-nn14-2qt/49760.