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Claims over £58m loan to revamp area
Wednesday 13th January 2010, 6:00PM GMT.
Town hall chiefs will have to borrow £58 million if they are to realise a dream of transforming Telford town centre into a major tourism hub, it was claimed today.
Telford & Wrekin Council Labour group supremo Councillor Keith Austin said borrowing on such a huge scale, to help finance a £250 million plan was deeply worrying.
The council and the Southwater Event Group have jointly submitted plans for land at Southwater in the town centre. Homes, hotels and leisure facilities are all part of the scheme to breathe life into the flagging area.
Councillor Austin said: “There is likely to be a lot of borrowing needed for some of the town centre development.
“My initial thoughts are that the amounts are very high. There is borrowing required of £58 million in total. If that turns out to be correct it is very worrying.”
The plans include creating a night-time economy based around a pedestrian high street from the International Centre to Telford town centre and the Town Park.
It is expected that Telford & Wrekin Council plans board will discuss the plans application early this year.
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Telford as a what? You have got to be kidding!?!
What kind of tourist would want to visit a shopping centre and industrial estates and then find they’ve had their car nicked?
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Oh best laugh I have had all day . Wahat are the attrations?telford town park?, shopping centre??, sutton hill,
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worth every penny, you need to spend billions on that place, its in dire need of regeneration
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So what are they doing with all the money from Asda? Did they sell off the council offices site on the cheap?
As for Southwater, it really needs to happen. This is exactly the kind of development Telford really needs, high quality mixed use developments of the type one would expect to find in the centre of a large town. We would have our own high street and a network of other public streets and squares, it can’t happen soon enough in my opinion.
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Considering the complete hash the previous administrations have made with the whole design and concept of Telford, I would trust any of them with the money to be quite truthful..
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Strange that the council are on about borrowing £58million to revamp something they don’t own-(go down a couple of threads to the Asda row where it is announced that the town centre is owned by Hark-Apollo)- and knowing our trusty councils and councilers that £58mill. will soon become £116mill or more, and where does the £58mill. fit into a scheme costing £250mill.?
If trade has dropped off in the Town Centre, you can bet your bottom doller it dates back to the day that car parking charges were instituted which is the day that I personally stopped going to the centre and will not go untill the charges go.
Whilst on my soap box, Why do the council need to abbandon there existing offices (which is one of the best looking buildings in Telford IMO) just to build yet more offices just up the road?, and then be the authority to pass the plans for demolition of the said offices and rebuilding of yet another bloody superstore that will sell you anything that you can virtually buy in the Town Centre? I know as I shop at Asda Donnington Wood.
When passing plans the same old excuse is always used, “It will create X number of jobs” but they never say that it will cost XX number of jobs in other areas.
As for the Town Park, what a laugh, about 22/23 years ago I did some electrical work in the Chealsea Gardens (is that still there?) and I have not been back since as there was nothing else there and I would not want to be attacked by muggers, druggies and (if I were a Female) rapists.
The Planing Permission to go with the Asda project, ie for new homes, is very good but they need to be affordable homes for young and/or single people. There is no need for yet more 4/6 Bedroom houses.
I have yet to understand how a shopping centre becomes a tourist attraction, is it me? or are there people out there who are really that sad?
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In fairness, I think they’re talking about business tourism (which is perfectly feasible) and improved leisure offer for locals – I don’t think even the council imagines hoards of holiday makers heading for Telford Centre.
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