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SWANSEA: Council takes over NCP car parks with all-day parking cut to £5

Swansea Council has taken over the running of two city centre car parks abandoned by collapsed operator NCP, cutting all-day parking at both to £5.

NCP stopped operating the Kingsway and Orchard Street sites on Friday. The council’s red signs and £5-a-day tariff boards were going up at both this week, with the old NCP branding still in place above the entrances and its outline showing on the wall at Orchard Street where a sign had been stripped off.

The outline of the old NCP sign is still visible on the wall at Orchard Street, where the council’s new signs and tariff boards are going up. Image: Swansea Bay News

Between them the two sites hold 840 spaces — 512 at Orchard Street and 328 at Kingsway — a significant slice of the city centre’s parking.

Parking at both now costs £1 an hour or £5 for the day, matching the council’s other city centre car parks, with Sundays £2 all day. Existing permit holders keep their spaces.

One of the new council tariff boards waiting to go up at Orchard Street, showing £1 an hour and £5 all day. Image: Swansea Bay News

The company’s third Swansea site, City Gates on York Street, stays with NCP and is not part of the council’s plans. It has 251 spaces.

Cabinet member Andrew Stevens said the prospect of the car parks closing had been a concern when the council was given the news.

“Fortunately, the council own the freehold for both the Kingsway and Orchard Street sites,” he said. “This has given us the opportunity to take over the running of both sites and keep them both running without any disruption for car park users.”

A worker on the pay machines at Orchard Street as the council takes over. Image: Swansea Bay News

He said the council would spend the next few months upgrading payment equipment and other features to bring the two sites up to the standard of its other car parks.

Cllr Stevens said Swansea now had “some of the cheapest parking fees anywhere in the country”.

The rescue ends four months of uncertainty for two of the city’s busiest car parks. NCP called in administrators from PwC in March after running out of cash, putting all its Swansea sites under review.

The company, which ran around 340 car parks and employed more than 680 people, never recovered from the collapse in commuting after the pandemic, while long leases kept its costs high.

PwC closed 29 car parks across England and Northern Ireland in the months that followed — none of them in Wales — while telling drivers the remaining sites were trading as normal.

The 840 spaces are a real addition to the council’s stock. When the 628-space Copr Bay North multi-storey opened this month, the 375-space St David’s car park shut the same day for demolition, leaving a net gain of just over 250 spaces.

Drivers with outstanding NCP fines should note that administration does not wipe them: the company still legally exists, and unpaid tickets can still be enforced.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

NCP enters administration putting key Swansea car parks at risk
How the collapse put Kingsway, Orchard Street and City Gates under a cloud in March.

SWANSEA: Don’t ignore that NCP parking fine
Why administration doesn’t wipe out fines — and what the creditors’ meeting meant for Swansea.

COPR BAY: Opening day named for long-delayed car park
628 new spaces — and the 375-space car park that closed the same day.

#carPark #CllrAndrewStevens #Kingsway #KingswayMultiStoreyCarPark #NCP #OrchardStreet #OrchardStreetMultiStoreyCarPark #SwanseaCityCentre #SwanseaCouncil

SWANSEA: Don’t ignore that NCP parking fine — and here’s what the May 20 meeting means for Kingsway, Orchard Street and City Gates

A lot of people are asking the same question right now: if NCP has gone bust, do I still have to pay that fine? The short answer is yes — and ignoring it could land you in trouble.

Car leasing experts at LeaseLoco are warning drivers not to assume that NCP going into administration wipes the slate clean. The company still legally exists — it’s just being run by accountancy firm PwC, who were brought in as administrators back in March. And as far as they’re concerned, it’s business as usual.

John Wilmot, CEO of LeaseLoco, said: “A lot of people are confused about where this leaves them and we’re worried the news is going to catch some drivers out. If you are using an NCP car park, remember to continue to pay as normal — otherwise you can still face a fine.”

He added: “Those with existing fines should also treat these as they usually would by either appealing or paying it off. NCP has gone into administration which means it still exists — this doesn’t make fines void all of a sudden.”

The NCP Orchard Street Car Park in Swansea city centre. Picture: Swansea Bay News

PwC confirmed this week that “all other car parks remain open to customers” — so if you’re parking in one of Swansea’s three NCP car parks, you still need to pay.

So why did NCP collapse in the first place? The company — which manages 340 car parks and employs around 681 people nationally — never really recovered from the pandemic. Fewer people commuting into city centres meant lower occupancy, and the company was stuck in long-term leases it couldn’t get out of. Eventually it ran out of cash, and the directors called in the administrators.

Since then, PwC has been closing the sites it can’t make work. Twenty car parks shut on 27 March, including sites in Birmingham, Bristol, London and Leicester. Four more followed on 16 April in Belfast, Coventry, Leicester and Sheffield. Five more closed on 30 April in Bradford, Chester, Kidderminster, Nottingham and Southampton.

That’s 29 closures in total — and not one of them is in Wales.

The NCP Kingsway Car Park in Swansea city centre. Picture: Swansea Bay NewsThe NCP Orchard Street Car Park viewed from the street. Picture: Swansea Bay News

When NCP entered administration in March, Swansea’s three city centre car parks — Kingsway, Orchard Street and City Gates — were immediately put under a cloud of uncertainty. Together they provide a huge chunk of city centre parking, and their loss would be a serious blow for shoppers, workers and visitors.

Kingsway alone is one of the busiest car parks in the city centre — a short walk from the Quadrant, the market and the high street. Losing it, along with Orchard Street and City Gates, would leave a significant hole in Swansea’s parking provision at a time when the city centre is already fighting to attract footfall.

The good news is that all three have survived every round of cuts so far. But survival so far is not the same as safety — and the administrators have been clear that every site remains under ongoing review.

The big date is Wednesday 20 May, when NCP’s creditors meet to discuss the future of the business. A creditors meeting is where the people owed money — landlords, suppliers, lenders — get to hear what the administrators have found and what the options are. PwC has said it is exploring a potential sale of all or part of the company as one route forward.

If a buyer is found, some or all of the remaining car parks could continue under new ownership. If not, further closures are likely. Either way, May 20 should bring some clarity on which way the wind is blowing for Swansea.

Until then, the message from the experts is simple: carry on as normal. Pay for your parking. Pay your fines. Don’t assume the chaos means you can get away with it — because you can’t.

#administration #carPark #Kingsway #KingswayMultiStoreyCarPark #motoring #MSCP #NCP #OrchardStreet #OrchardStreetMultiStoreyCarPark #pwc #Swansea

NCP enters administration putting key Swansea car parks at risk

National Car Parks (NCP), which operates around 340 car parks across the UK, has called in administrators from PwC after running out of cash.

The company employs more than 680 people nationwide and manages parking at key locations including city centres, hospitals, airports and transport hubs.

What it means right now

Despite the move, drivers are being told it’s business as usual — for now.

Administrators say all car parks remain open, staff are still in place, and there will be no immediate changes for customers.

But a full review of the business is now underway — and that could ultimately lead to closures or changes at some sites.

NCP Swansea Orchard Street car park, a major multi-storey facility serving Swansea city centre.
(Image: Google Maps)

Major Swansea sites under the spotlight

In Swansea, NCP operates several of the city centre’s best-known car parks — all of which are now part of the administration process.

These include Kingsway (328 spaces), Orchard Street (512 spaces), City Gates (251 spaces), Jockey Street (36 spaces), and a small additional site at Northampton Lane. A further NCP car park also operates in Neath on Orchard Street.

Together, these sites provide hundreds of spaces used daily by shoppers, commuters and visitors, making them a key part of the city’s infrastructure.

While no specific closures have been confirmed, administrators have made clear that every site will be assessed for viability.

NCP Swansea City Gates car park near the Vue cinema complex in Swansea city centre.
(Image: Google Maps)

A company with decades of history

National Car Parks is one of the UK’s oldest parking operators, with roots dating back to the 1930s as car ownership began to rise across Britain.

Originally formed to manage growing demand for city parking, the business expanded rapidly in the post-war years, becoming a familiar name in towns and cities across the country.

Over the decades, NCP grew into a dominant force in the sector, operating hundreds of sites and becoming synonymous with multi-storey car parks in urban centres.

However, like many traditional parking operators, it has struggled to adapt to changing travel habits in recent years — particularly the decline in daily commuting.

Why NCP has entered administration

According to PwC, the company has struggled for years following the pandemic.

Changes in working habits — particularly the shift to home working — have reduced demand for city centre parking, while long-term lease agreements have left the business locked into high costs.

In a statement, PwC said the company had insufficient cash to meet its financial obligations, forcing directors to place it into administration.

Zelf Hussain, joint administrator, said:

“NCP has faced a challenging trading environment over several years, with changing consumer behaviours impacting volumes, and a high fixed cost-base leading to trading losses.”

He added:

“All sites are open, staff remain in post, and trading continues as normal.”

Jobs and closures risk

Although staff remain employed for now, the future is uncertain.

Administrators are exploring options including selling all or part of the business, while also negotiating with landlords in a bid to cut costs.

However, they have warned that some locations may not be viable, meaning closures are a real possibility.

What happens next

For now, drivers across Swansea and Neath can continue to use NCP car parks as normal.

But with every site under review, the longer-term future of some locations remains unclear.

For city centre businesses already facing challenges, any loss of parking could have a knock-on effect — making this a story that’s likely to develop in the weeks ahead.

#administration #businessNews #carParks #CityGates #CityGatesMultiStoreyCarPark #featured #jobs #Kingsway #KingswayMultiStoreyCarPark #MSCP #NationalCarParks #Neath #OrchardStreet #OrchardStreetMultiStoreyCarPark #parking #pwc #SalubriousPlace #Swansea