diff --git a/packages/backend/src/plugins/catalog.ts b/packages/backend/src/plugins/catalog.ts
index 8474478f9e..57afe4fefd 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/plugins/catalog.ts
+++ b/packages/backend/src/plugins/catalog.ts
@@ -14,13 +14,9 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { useHotCleanup } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import {
   CatalogBuilder,
   createRouter,
-  NextCatalogBuilder,
-  runPeriodically,
-  createNextRouter,
 } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-backend';
 import { Router } from 'express';
 import { PluginEnvironment } from '../types';
@@ -28,36 +24,7 @@ import { PluginEnvironment } from '../types';
 export default async function createPlugin(
   env: PluginEnvironment,
 ): Promise<Router> {
-  /*
-   * This environment variable exists as an emergency option during the release
-   * of the new catalog processing engine.
-   * If you experience any issues, make sure to report them as this flag
-   * will be removed in a subsequent release.
-   */
-  if (process.env.LEGACY_CATALOG === '1') {
-    const builder = new CatalogBuilder(env);
-    const {
-      entitiesCatalog,
-      locationsCatalog,
-      higherOrderOperation,
-      locationAnalyzer,
-    } = await builder.build();
-
-    useHotCleanup(
-      module,
-      runPeriodically(() => higherOrderOperation.refreshAllLocations(), 100000),
-    );
-
-    return await createRouter({
-      entitiesCatalog,
-      locationsCatalog,
-      higherOrderOperation,
-      locationAnalyzer,
-      logger: env.logger,
-      config: env.config,
-    });
-  }
-  const builder = new NextCatalogBuilder(env);
+  const builder = await CatalogBuilder.create(env);
   const {
     entitiesCatalog,
     locationAnalyzer,
@@ -65,10 +32,9 @@ export default async function createPlugin(
     locationService,
   } = await builder.build();
 
-  // TODO(jhaals): run and manage in background.
   await processingEngine.start();
 
-  return await createNextRouter({
+  return await createRouter({
     entitiesCatalog,
     locationAnalyzer,
     locationService,
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogBuilder.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogBuilder.ts
index f742e3c0db..9bec4442d7 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogBuilder.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogBuilder.ts
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ import {
 } from '../ingestion/processors/PlaceholderProcessor';
 import { defaultEntityDataParser } from '../ingestion/processors/util/parse';
 import { LocationAnalyzer } from '../ingestion/types';
+import { NextCatalogBuilder } from '../next';
 
 export type CatalogEnvironment = {
   logger: Logger;
@@ -103,6 +104,10 @@ export class CatalogBuilder {
   private processorsReplace: boolean;
   private parser: CatalogProcessorParser | undefined;
 
+  static async create(env: CatalogEnvironment): Promise<NextCatalogBuilder> {
+    return new NextCatalogBuilder(env);
+  }
+
   constructor(env: CatalogEnvironment) {
     this.env = env;
     this.entityPolicies = [];
@@ -112,6 +117,10 @@ export class CatalogBuilder {
     this.processors = [];
     this.processorsReplace = false;
     this.parser = undefined;
+
+    env.logger.warn(
+      "Creating the catalog with 'new CatalogBuilder(env)' is deprecated! Use CatalogBuilder.create(env) instead",
+    );
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/router.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/router.ts
index ae58255a4e..525ba76c0c 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/router.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/router.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import yn from 'yn';
 import { EntitiesCatalog, LocationsCatalog } from '../catalog';
 import { HigherOrderOperation, LocationAnalyzer } from '../ingestion/types';
+import { LocationService } from '../next/types';
 import {
   basicEntityFilter,
   parseEntityFilterParams,
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ export interface RouterOptions {
   locationsCatalog?: LocationsCatalog;
   higherOrderOperation?: HigherOrderOperation;
   locationAnalyzer?: LocationAnalyzer;
+  locationService?: LocationService;
   logger: Logger;
   config: Config;
 }
@@ -57,6 +59,7 @@ export async function createRouter(
     locationsCatalog,
     higherOrderOperation,
     locationAnalyzer,
+    locationService,
     config,
     logger,
   } = options;
@@ -145,6 +148,40 @@ export async function createRouter(
       });
   }
 
+  if (locationService) {
+    router
+      .post('/locations', async (req, res) => {
+        const input = await validateRequestBody(req, locationSpecSchema);
+        const dryRun = yn(req.query.dryRun, { default: false });
+
+        // when in dryRun addLocation is effectively a read operation so we don't
+        // need to disallow readonly
+        if (!dryRun) {
+          disallowReadonlyMode(readonlyEnabled);
+        }
+
+        const output = await locationService.createLocation(input, dryRun);
+        res.status(201).json(output);
+      })
+      .get('/locations', async (_req, res) => {
+        const locations = await locationService.listLocations();
+        res.status(200).json(locations.map(l => ({ data: l })));
+      })
+
+      .get('/locations/:id', async (req, res) => {
+        const { id } = req.params;
+        const output = await locationService.getLocation(id);
+        res.status(200).json(output);
+      })
+      .delete('/locations/:id', async (req, res) => {
+        disallowReadonlyMode(readonlyEnabled);
+
+        const { id } = req.params;
+        await locationService.deleteLocation(id);
+        res.status(204).end();
+      });
+  }
+
   if (higherOrderOperation) {
     router.post('/locations', async (req, res) => {
       const input = await validateRequestBody(req, locationSpecSchema);