Capital & Centric has secured approval to transform the derelict Midway multi-storey car park in Newcastle-under-Lyme into 111 new homes, marking the first project of its kind in the UK. The Manchester-based social impact developer plans to convert the concrete structure into a residential-led community featuring apartments, rooftop houses, and shared amenities.

The scheme is being hailed as a potential model for wider regeneration, with councils and car park owners already approaching Capital & Centric about similar opportunities. The design blends bold, adaptive reuse with a distinct aesthetic—green planting cascading down the facade, a large open-air lightwell punched through the centre, and exposed ceiling infrastructure lending a raw, “post-apocalyptic” character.

The former car park will also benefit from existing urban infrastructure like roads, power, drainage, and nearby retail—elements that reduce development costs and complexity. While the project includes environmental and social benefits, co-founder Tim Heatley emphasizes it also stacks up financially: “We wouldn’t be doing this if it didn’t work commercially.”

The redevelopment forms part of a broader regeneration effort, including a 1960s shopping centre and a brownfield site, aiming to create a vibrant, affordable neighborhood. Challenges like limited natural light and floor-to-ceiling heights are being addressed creatively, with service zones placed in darker areas and light-enhancing design elements throughout.

Despite some public skepticism, Heatley remains confident the project will prove its critics wrong: “If we knock down all the buildings from the 50s, 60s and 70s, we’ll look back and say, ‘yeah, we probably shouldn’t have done that.’” The development is being watched as a bold step toward more sustainable, imaginative reuse of the UK’s neglected built environment.