1970s-built shopping centre to get £2m revamp

The work will create a brighter, safer and appealing centre, the council said

A 1970s-built shopping centre will undergo a £2m refurbishment after a council agreed to fund the scheme.

Knightswick Shopping Centre in Canvey Island, Essex, was bought by Castle Point Borough Council as a "regeneration project" in 2019, when it had not been modernised for many years.

Its cabinet agreed to spend £2.1m - plus a further £810,000 on fixtures and fittings - with work to be carried out between February and June 2026.

"It's been a long journey on this, so it will be good now we can see the works going, I think the Knightswick Centre will look absolutely superb," said council leader David Blackwell.

Residents said the centre was "very run-down" and used as a cut-through

Lack of modernisation meant some of the centre's 28 shop units had remained vacant, the cabinet was told.

The improvements aimed to attract customers and tenants, a report to councillors said, and involved upgrading lighting, flooring, ceiling and infrastructure "to enhance the overall experience".

"Creating a brighter, safer and appealing centre will make the space more inviting and competitive while diversifying the retail mix to appeal to a broader demographic with new shops, dining or entertainment options," it added.

Residents had called for the centre to be updated, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

One said it was "very run-down" and often just used as a "cut-through" to Sainsbury's rather than for shopping.

Others described it as "old, ugly, and boring", LDRS said.