Ask stakeholders for some direction
JUST how worried should taxpayers be regarding the last about-turn on the neverending saga that is the redevelopment of Rawtenstall town centre?
To recap: Labour pledged to knock down the old shopping centre in Rawtenstall when they came to power at the turn of the decade and redevelop the site.
To fund that, they diverted millions of pounds in loans from the proposed new swimming pool in Haslingden, leading to the closure of Haslingden’s baths.
Funding was then secured to build a bus station, in the face of stiff opposition from many, who felt the planning proposals were rushed through and didn’t do much to enhance Rawtenstall’s heritage. Then things got a little bit odd. Or a bit odder.
Part of the funding - around £1m of it - secured by the council for the bus station was conditional on
phase two being delivered. Over the last year, a steady stream of ideas have been floated for what would be in phase two.
At one point, we were promised a hotel, the brand of which was said to be of a quality that would impress, with a variety of shops underneath. Leisure facilities were also hinted at. We got excited at the thought of a cinema, or a bowling alley, or something which would bring in visitors.
The council decided against the hotel, and went for flats instead. Leisure facilities of the type many had hoped were canned in favour of a spa - every self-respecting town centre must need one - with shops. Along with more borrowing to fund the project.
Last week came news that the council was now moving away from the idea of putting shops on the site too.
The bottom has dropped out of retail letting, said the council.
When it exactly dropped out of the market isn’t clear. Judging by the length of time it took to fill the New Hall Hey shopping development on the outskirts of town, and the myriad of empty shops in Accrington town centre, it’s possible to argue the signals were there a long time ago.
The scheme is now being ‘reworked’ to focus on the spa and the housing on the site. The council says it might now result in more parking in the town centre, which given that up until now the overall scheme was expected to result in less parking in the town centre, is perhaps not quite the unexpected bonus it first sounds to be.
The council also suggests more ‘public realm.’ Which given it is building this phase two on top of ‘public realm’ – the Town Square, which itself is only a few years old – seems a bit odd too.
Serious questions need to be asked about where this project is going. The council, along with its development partner Barnfield, has tipped a lot of money into this scheme, and a lot of it is coming from loans or grants with strings attached.
Increasingly, it feels as though the council is having to build something – anything – on the site to be able to start earning the money it needs to pay back the loans it is lining up.
And if anything goes wrong, it’ll be you and I, the Rossendale tax payers, who could lose out, either through higher taxes or worse services.
Surely Rossendale Council should use this latest setback to stop and listen to what people in Rawtenstall think should go on the site. We might not be experts in developments, but given the council has changed course at least three times so far, asking what we’d use is probably as good a place to start as any.