The Ridings Shopping Centre, Wakefield: Plan to demolish Yorkshire shopping centre set to be scrapped
Wakefield Council looks set to scrap plans to demolish The Ridings Shopping Centre and re-purpose the venue as a “vibrant leisure destination.”
The Reform UK-led authority said the ageing mall would be transformed to include more “hospitality, entertainment, and cultural uses” alongside existing independent retailers who currently occupy the centre.
The council bought The Ridings for just over £11m in May when it was under the control of the previous Labour administration.
Those in charge at the time said the 43-year-old centre would be demolished to make way for new homes, leisure facilities and event spaces.
Labour lost control of the council days after the acquisition when Reform won 58 out of 63 seats at the local elections.
The new administration the announced it would carry out an “in-depth review” of the scheme and launched a fresh public consultation in July.
Council leader Karl Johnson said the new proposals were shaped by feedback from over 3,000 people who shared their views on the future of the city centre.
He said: “We promised that before we made any decision about The Ridings, we would give residents and businesses the chance to have their say.
“Thousands of you did over summer.
“You’ve given us a clear direction – that we share – for a more vibrant city centre with more things to do, more places to visit, and more reasons to stay longer.
“Giving The Ridings a new purpose as a vibrant leisure destination will do just that.
“Our plan will inject a new lease of life into the centre and deliver the cafés, restaurants, bars, leisure attractions and cultural activities that complement retail.
“As we deliver this, we’ll be supporting our existing retailers in the centre along the way, as well as always making sure our plans complement the wider offer we’ve got right across our city.”
The council said it also planned to appoint an independent specialist advisor to develop a new commercial plan, with a focus on “retaining the centre’s current strengths” while attracting new leisure and hospitality operators.
A report to cabinet members said the latest scheme represented a “significant departure” from the previous strategy and highlighted a number of risks associated with the policy change.
It said: “Local authorities are not naturally structured or best placed to operate shopping centres on a long-term commercial basis.
“The council may face conflicting objectives between achieving regeneration outcomes and maintaining the commercial discipline required to ensure financial sustainability.”
The document added: “Managing an ageing retail centre will inevitably involve operational issues, maintenance failures and unpopular decisions.
“Over time these challenges could attract public criticism and create an accumulating reputational burden for the council.”
Coun Johnson said: “Anything we do has to work in the long-term. I’ve been very clear that we won’t spend money we can’t afford to.
“The plan needs to financially stack up and not put council budgets at risk.
“I am confident that together we can build an exciting next chapter for The Ridings and deliver something that we can all get behind.”
If the report is approved at a meeting on November 17, it will formally end the previous Cathedral Quarter proposal agreed in February this year.
The original scheme included plans to demolish four high-rise residential tower blocks – Manor House, Trinity House, Tudor House and Warren House.
The council said the buildings, owned by social housing provider Vico Homes, no longer formed part of the new proposals.
A council spokesperson said: “As a result of the previous decision approved in February, Vico Homes has been progressing the decant and vacation of these blocks, supporting customers to find alternative homes in and around the city centre.
“The council understands this will continue.
“Work to build over 200 new affordable homes in Wakefield’s Kirkgate Gateway will continue.”
As part of wider regeneration plans, councillors are also expected to agree to the creation of a new ‘Northern Gateway’ to the city centre.
If approved, development would be centred around Borough Road Car Park and surrounding land and include new homes and public spaces.