'A serious mess': Tacket Street and Tower Ramparts revert back to NCP
Both Tacket Street and Tower Ramparts car parks have reverted back to NCP, days after the sites changed hands to new operator Q-Park, with one NCP attendant describing the situation as "a serious mess".
Why it matters: Motorists using Tacket Street and Tower Ramparts have been left confused, with signage switched from NCP to Q-Park and back again within days.
The details: Q-Park had been due to take over both car parks from 1 August, after National Car Parks Limited (in administration) confirmed it would cease operating both sites. NCP will now continue to run them instead.
- Both Q-Park and NCP were operating the two car parks over the weekend.
- NCP signage that had previously been spray-painted to remove branding has had to be cleaned and reinstated at both sites.
- An NCP car park attendant told Ipswich.co.uk the situation was "a serious mess", adding that Q-Park "are having some issues" – meaning NCP will now continue to operate both Tower Ramparts and Tacket Street car parks.
Both Tacket Street and Tower Ramparts car parks have reverted back to NCP (Photos: Oliver Rouane-Williams/Ipswich.co.uk)
What they're saying: A spokesperson for the joint administrators said: "The planned transfer of the Ipswich NCP sites to Q Park is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. NCP continues to operate both Tacket Street and Tower Ramparts in the meantime. Customers should continue to follow the signage currently in place at each site and make payment through the operator identified on site. We apologise for any confusion caused."
For context: NCP was placed into administration on 16 March 2026, with PwC partners Zelf Hussain, Rachael Wilkinson and Toby Banfield appointed as joint administrators. NCP subsequently told customers it would stop operating a number of UK sites from 1 August 2026, including Tacket Street and Tower Ramparts in Ipswich, with Q-Park taking over. NCP said it had shared "limited elements of the data" it holds with Q-Park "to ensure service continuity where possible."
What's next: It remains unclear when, or whether, Q-Park will take over the two car parks as originally planned. Ipswich.co.uk will update this story with any response from NCP or Q-Park.
The bottom line: Days after Q-Park's takeover of Tacket Street and Tower Ramparts began, both car parks are back under NCP's control, with an NCP attendant describing the botched handover as "a serious mess".
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