'Shopping habits have changed': Civic society’s ‘cautious support’ for shopping centre demolition
Wakefield Civic Society has offered ‘cautious support’ for council plans to demolish The Ridings shopping centre.
The organisation made the comments as it raised a number concerns in response to the announcement that the 1980s mall is to be bulldozed to make way for a major regeneration scheme.
Wakefield Council said last week that it planned to create a “vibrant new quarter” to include new homes, leisure facilities and spaces for events.
The Cathedral Quarter scheme also involves knocking down high-rise residential tower blocks as part of the major regeneration project.
In a statement, the society said: “Shopping habits have changed markedly in recent years and more people now work from home.
“City centres must adapt and evolve to keep pace with these and other changes in society – they cannot remain frozen in time.
“The society recognises that the Cathedral Quarter is a bold and ambitious project that will transform Wakefield city centre, creating new opportunities for local businesses, residents and visitors alike, and we welcome the further investment being made in the city.
“We appreciate that the initial announcement is more about principle than detail and we look forward to engaging in the forthcoming consultation exercise where concerns can be shared and discussed.
“Experience tells us that the detailed plans will likely be somewhat different to the ‘artist’s impressions’ used to accompany the announcement.
“Getting the details right will be vital to the success of the project.”
The council said the regeneration scheme would take place in stages over ten to 15 years.
The first phase of the project is being funded through £17.9m from the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government (MHCLG).
The civic society added: “We felt that we could offer cautious support for the principle underlying the project.
“It has been clear from social media comments for some time, and from what we hear from some of our own members, that many people are dissatisfied with the state of things in the city centre as they are at present.
“Many comments regret the decline of the city centre as a place for retail and leisure but it is obvious that we cannot just simply try to recreate the past.
“Something on a bigger, and arguably bolder, scale is needed.
“The proposals for the Cathedral Quarter could well be just what the city needs to halt the steady decline and transform Wakefield once again into a vibrant and attractive city.
“Nothing on this scale has been attempted in Wakefield since the regeneration projects of the 50s and 60s – and, of course, the coming of The Ridings in 1983.
“Only the council can undertake such a wide-reaching redevelopment which necessitates the acquisition of land and properties in multiple ownerships while also managing the different stakeholder interests and securing the required funding.”
Society members also put forward a number of suggestions to the local authority in relation to the project, including requests to retain public artwork and some historic buildings within the Ridings footprint.
They have also requested that “historic vistas and long-range views” of Wakefield Cathedral are retained.
Reassurances over long-term funding for the project have also been sought.
The society added: “We would like to see more information on where that additional funding will come from to prevent work starting and then standing uncompleted.
“Lessons need to be learned from other cities such as Bradford, where large scale clearance and redevelopment projects commenced but then stalled for lengthy periods.”