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National Car Parks

Company type	Private
Industry	Car parking
Founded	3 January 1931 [1]
Founder	Colonel Frederick Lucas [2]
Fate	In administration (administrators appointed 16 March 2026) [3]
Headquarters	London, England [1]
Number of locations	340 car parks (2026) [2]
Area served	United Kingdom
Owner	Park24 Development Bank of Japan [3] [4]
Number of employees	682 (2026) [2]
Website	ncp.co.uk

National Car Parks (NCP) is a British private car park operator. Founded in 1931, it manages off-street car parks in towns and cities, including sites at airports, hospitals and National Rail stations. ^{[2] [3]}

Contents

• History
• Operations
• Controversies
• References
• External links

In 2017 the business was acquired by Park24 and the Development Bank of Japan. ^[4] On 16 March 2026, the company entered administration and PwC was appointed as administrator. ^{[3] [5]}

History

The company was incorporated in 1931 and is commonly traced to its founder, Colonel Frederick Lucas. ^{[1] [2]} It expanded after being acquired in 1959 by Central Car Parks, a business formed by Sir Ronald Hobson and Sir Donald Gosling, who developed car parks on vacant sites in central London after the Second World War. ^[2]

In 1998 NCP was sold to the US company Cendant for £801 million. ^[6] In 2005 it was acquired by 3i for £555 million. ^[7] In 2007, 3i sold NCP's off-street parking business to a fund managed by Macquarie for £790 million. ^[8] Macquarie later agreed a sale to a consortium of Park24 and the Development Bank of Japan in 2017. ^[4]

In March 2026, NCP entered administration, with PwC appointed as administrators while the business continued to trade. ^{[3] [2]}

Operations

NCP operates off-street car parks across the United Kingdom, including locations in town and city centres and at major transport hubs. ^{[2] [5]}

NCP previously operated a portfolio of Transport for London station car parks; the contract was awarded to Saba with effect from January 2023. ^{[9] [10]}

Controversies

In 1993 NCP chief executive Gordon Layton was acquitted in an Old Bailey trial following allegations of industrial espionage against rival company Europarks. ^[11]

Part of an NCP-operated multi-storey car park in Nottingham collapsed on 19 August 2017, leaving vehicles hanging over the edge of the building; no injuries were reported. ^{[12] [13]}

References

External links

Media related to National Car Parks at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website