Hitchin: Concerns over lack of plans for shopping centre

The council said it was developing a plan to regenerate Churchgate Shopping Centre in Hitchin

Opposition councillors have expressed concerns over the lack of plans for a shopping centre a district council purchased for £3.75m.

North Herts Council bought Churchgate Shopping Centre in Hitchin last year.

The Labour-Liberal Democrat administration said it was developing a plan to regenerate the site.

But the Conservative group said it was "shocked" to not see any money set aside for the project in the council's budget.

A consultation for local people to share their ideas for the centre closed on 6 February.

The council said its "priority" was to work with existing tenants

The authority said it decided to purchase the centre as it believed it could "best control the future use of the site".

The council already owned the freehold before it purchased the leasehold last summer.

It said it wanted to "regenerate" the site and it would use income from the centre to seek "necessary professional advice via consultants, architects, quantity surveyors".

Leader of the council, Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg, said as the council owned the market and car parks adjacent to the centre, it had "the best opportunity" to "make improvements to this part of Hitchin".

Leader of the Conservative group, Clare Strong, said: "You've not put any money down in your budget.

"I do hope that if it's going to be a 'wait and see' project at Churchgate, it's not going to turn into something that's going on in Croydon."

Croydon Council declared itself effectively bankrupt in November 2020 because it could not balance its budget and will be allowed to hike its council tax by 15% in April, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Ms Strong said Croydon's investments into commercial property could "only be described as a disaster".

The authority said it wanted to improve the area in Hitchin

Conservative councillor Ralph Muncer said: "We're seeing millions of pounds of taxpayers' money spent on a dilapidated shopping centre with no clear financial plan.

"I'm frankly quite shocked not to see any money set aside for this project, which is going to be in the tens of millions of pounds."

Ms Dennis-Harburg said: "We're working with our communities and we are co-designing a facility which is going to sit in the centre of this district and will be a key economic linchpin to deliver a real benefit across the entirety of North Herts."