Capital&Centric turns multi-storey car park into homes in UK-first

Social impact developer Capital&Centric has begun turning a car park into a pioneering new neighbourhood in a UK-first.

The former Midway car park is now being hollowed out to create a stunning, triple-height atrium, where the raw concrete frame is softened by cascading gardens and light-filled social spaces.

Work is now underway to transform the unloved building into a community of 111 apartments. The design-led layouts are built for light and space, topped off with a brand-new floor of penthouse apartments featuring distinctive red pitched roofs.

Residents will also get access to some serious amenities. The building will feature a social hub, gym, mini-cine and lounge, bringing a big city lifestyle to the town centre and giving people a place to hang out, work out or catch a movie.

By saving the building, the project locks in a shed load of embodied carbon that would otherwise be lost. Every single home at Karparc comes with its own slice of the outdoors too. The neighbourhood will feature generous private balconies and roof terraces with integrated edge planters – providing green sanctuary for residents while creating a striking new look for the town centre.

John Moffat, Joint Managing Director at Capital&Centric, said:

"People doubted it would work but Karparc is set to be something truly unique. Taking a concrete hulk of parking spaces and turning them into a buzzing new neighbourhood is something you won’t find anywhere else in the UK. It’s a creative way to solve the housing crisis and protect the planet, by re-using a building with tons of embodied carbon. Starting the transformation proves the naysayers wrong and now that we’re under construction, people will quickly see the changes happening. It will bring energy back to the town centre and create a neighbourhood that’s packed with character, light, and loads of greenery.”

Simon Tagg, Council Leader at Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said:

“This brilliantly innovative design, which is attracting interest from across Europe, will turn an old Newcastle landmark into a brand new one. Along with the other developments at Rye Park and York Place, it is a delight to see brownfield land and derelict buildings repurposed and become hundreds of homes boosting our town centre economy.”

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Karparc will feature:

• The Homes – 111 apartments with character-packed, open-plan layouts that you just don't get with standard new builds.

• The Hangouts – A residents’ lounge, social hub, gym and mini-cine. These spaces bring a big city lifestyle to Newcastle under-Lyme, making it easy to host movie nights, smash a workout or get some work done without having to leave the building.

• The Look – Brutalist architecture meets lush greenery. The contrast between the heavy concrete and the new landscaping creates a striking aesthetic, with plenty of lush greenery to chill out in and escape the noise of the town centre.

• The Impact – A UK first for repurposing a car park, saving tonnes of embodied carbon. Living here means being part of a pioneering community that prioritises the planet by giving an old building a new life.

The project is part of a wider £60mn regeneration of Newcastle-under-Lyme, supported by the Borough Council and recently backed by a £19m funding boost from Homes England. It sits alongside Capital&Centric’s other upcoming town centre sites, “Astley Place” (the former York Place shopping centre) and “Rye Park” (a buzzing new neighbourhood in the Ryecroftarea of Newcastle-under-Lyme).

The community is expected to complete in mid-2027.

Currently investing £3 million a week across eight live construction sites, Capital&Centric is driving regeneration in towns and cities nationwide, from Wolverhampton to Gateshead and Sheffield, where its Eyewitness Works featured on Channel 4’s The Big Interiors Battle.

The company recently announced an £860m joint venture with Swiss Life and Homes England to deliver over 2,250 homes in under invested areas in England. They are also creating a new town centre alongside 2,000 homes in Cambridgeshire’s new town Northstowe.