Wiltshire Council has completed an agreement to transfer the freehold of St Stephen’s Multi-Storey Car Park in Trowbridge to Patet Ltd, the owner of the adjoining Castle Place Shopping Centre – with the council including safeguards in the deal. 

The agreement means that when the council vacates Castle Place Leisure Centre the freehold of the car park will transfer to Patet Ltd. Safeguards within the agreement include milestones to be met by Patet Ltd within specific timeframes in respect of demolition as well as planning approval for comprehensive redevelopment.   

The signed agreement resolves a long-running issue around the future of the ageing car park, removes substantial future maintenance liabilities and costs from the council and creates the opportunity for future investment in this part of Trowbridge town centre. The car park will formally transfer to Patet Ltd after the council’s new leisure centre and its car park open, with a date to be confirmed in due course. Any future changes to parking arrangements will be communicated in advance. 

Any future redevelopment proposals will be a matter for the new owner and will need to follow the relevant standard planning and statutory processes. Once the transfer has formally taken place, the council will be in a position to confirm more details on the agreement. 

 Cllr Helen Belcher, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Enterprise, Regeneration and Assets, said: “Signing and completing this agreement brings closure to an issue that has been discussed and debated for several years and provides a practical, long-term solution for an ageing structure. Without our decisive action, millions of pounds of further public investment would be required, money that could not be reclaimed through parking charges.  

“We fully understand that some people value the car park and the free parking, and this has not been an easy decision. However, both the car park and adjacent shopping centre require costly and substantial redevelopment, as a recent presentation to Trowbridge Place Partnership made clear.   

“The agreement transfers those future liabilities away from all Wiltshire’s taxpayers – not those just in Trowbridge – and we have ensured it contains protections for the council and creates an opportunity for investment at an important town centre site.  

“The car park remains open for now, and we will ensure people are given clear information in advance of any future change.”  

The car park was built in 1973 and is approaching the end of its original design life. Independent structural assessments identified ongoing deterioration. Engineering advice published in 2026 said its operational life could be extended by around 10 to 15 years, but only if substantial works estimated at between £3.5m and £5m were carried out within the next two to five years. Further costs would then arise when the structure ultimately reached the end of its serviceable life.  

A historic legal agreement has prevented the council from charging for parking at the site, meaning there is no income available to offset the cost of maintaining or replacing the structure.  

More information, including detailed questions and answers, can be found at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/news/st-stephens-agreement.