High hopes for town centre after council buys shopping centre Move paves way for regeneration of Sutton Coldfield
BIRMINGHAM City Council has snapped up a rundown Sutton Coldfield shopping centre and car park for £10.4 million, it has emerged.
The purchase of the Red Rose Centre, which houses branches of Wilko and Greggs, a nightclub, gym and the Sutton Coldfield Library, could now pave the way for a major regeneration of the town centre.
The deal was hailed by Coun Ewan Mackey (Con Sutton Trinity) as great news for the town.
“It’s a good deal for Sutton Coldfield and for Birmingham City Council,” he said.
“The council now owns a building in which it was leasing space with onerous clauses and cost a fortune. library moved
“This deal offers the opportulease. nity to do something flexible When asbestos was discovand forward-thinking with the ered in the library in 2010, the centre and kick-start a redevelcouncil was forced to close it for opment of Sutton Coldfield three years and spend £1.8 miltown centre.” lion decontaminating the build
He said he hoped to see plans ing. drawn up by either the council There was also much criticism or another developer. of the state of the multi-storey
Nisha Jassal, partner at law car park, which the council firm Gowling WLG, which operates under a lease, with its advised the council on the purdirty crumbling concrete, frechase, said: “This acquisition quently broken lifts and dingy was important walkways.forthecouncil and will help it look again at the Many believe Sutton wider regeneration of Sutton Coldfield town centre, Coldfield town centre as part of which underwent a an ambitious vision for developmodest regeneration ing the area. in the mid-1990s, has
“It has been a pleasure to help failed to truly capitalthe council with its aims.” ise on its potential as
The deal has previously been a regional shopping earmarked as part of a bold plan destination. to turn Sutton Coldfield into a Successive major regional shopping destiplans for nation on a par with Solihull Bra s s i ngand Touchwood. ton Ave-
It is hoped the deal will yield a similar return as that the council gained on the city centre Pallasades Shopping Centre, which it bought for £91 million in 2009 and sold as the redeveloped Grand Central earlier this year for £350 million.
The Red Rose was built in 1974 and the town in on a 99-year nue have stalled, never getting off the drawing board and plans to re-route the heavily congested ring road, which acts as a constraint on growth, have also been shelved.
In 2009, the city council drew up a regeneration framework for the town centre designed to increase the retail space, create new civic buildings and a public square in the Red Rose shopping centre area. But this never progressed due to the economic downturn and the council austerity cuts.
Council leader John Clancy said: “This deal will provide a positive investment return but, far more importantly, has the potential to spark the muchdesired regeneration of Sutton Coldfield Town Centre.
“Hopefully we can now work with other landowners and the newly formed town council to deliver an ambitious vision for Sutton Coldfield.”
Coun Ewan Mackey, right