'Facelift might not be enough for The Malls'
9:39am Tuesday 2nd October 2007
A BOLD regeneration scheme is required for a Basingstoke shopping centre if the town is to keep up with Reading, Cabinet chiefs were told.
Council officers are developing proposals to give The Malls a facelift after Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council's Cabinet rejected major redevelopment of the site.
I think if we look at just a mere facelift, it won’t achieve the over-riding objective of breathing new life into The Malls
Councillor Andrew McCormick
But Councillor Andrew McCormick told the latest Cabinet meeting: "We can't afford to do this by halves.
"I think if we look at just a mere facelift, it won't achieve the over-riding objective of breathing new life into The Malls."
He said The Malls shopping centre was decaying and Basingstoke had to be careful not to lose shoppers to rival towns.
"It seems to me we are losing the battle against Reading to keep people in the town centre, so I would urge you to be bold with this," he added.
Cllr Brian Gurden urged the Cabinet not to rule out the option of demolishing and rebuilding The Malls when the internet was changing the face of retailing.
"We don't know what the future, in terms of the next 20 years, will bring," he said.
He also questioned the commitment of developer St Modwen, the council's partners in The Malls.
Council leader John Leek said St Modwen was committed and the council would be talking with them in the next few months.
He added the 79-year leases for some retailers effectively ruled out demolition.
"It would be very difficult to try and buy them out to try to knock it down," he said.
Addressing Cllr McCormick's concerns, Cllr Leek referred to the recent decision of clothes retailer Primark to move into The Malls.
He said: "I don't think Primark would have gone there if they thought it is as bad as you make it out."
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David, Chineham says...
3:47pm Sun 11 Nov 07
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Mark, says...
10:24am Tue 2 Oct 07
Try walking from north to south or east to west across the town and you will find a series of obstacles. With the new town centre development a lot of the town is closed now at night stopping access and in effect killing the centre of the town.
The whole premis of service areas under the town and a center built above the level of the geography of the remainder of Basingstoke gave us the good old "Prison Wall" look that means the town is basically inaccessible.