Is regeneration delay damaging retail confidence?

Date published: 19/08/2008

The Labour Councillor for Central Rochdale has expressed dismay at news that Rochdale is back to square one where plans are concerned to regenerate the town centre, describing the Council’s decision to re-run the developer selection process as a “kick in the teeth”.

“People have been asking me for a long time when the town centre regeneration is going to start and I very much share their frustration that we’re nowhere nearer starting than we were a year ago,” said Councillor Ibrar Khan. “A lot of businessmen and women have told me just how important this development is to our local economy and I’m really disappointed that the wheels of change are grinding so slowly. It feels like we’re treading water and I’m worried that retail confidence in Rochdale is being damaged by the Council’s dithering and poor handling of this project.

“We’ve already seen the planned De Vere Village Hotel fall through at Kingsway. Can we now have a strong assurance from the Council that Debenhams remain committed to coming to Rochdale even though the town’s regeneration will be subject to delays?”

With the Council leader, Councillor Alan Taylor currently out of action due to ill health, Councillor Khan called on the town’s deputy leader, Councillor Irene Davidson, to confirm that Debenhams remained on board and to explain why the process has been handled so badly.

“I think we need some plain speaking here,” he argued. “For the Council to claim that ‘there is a real momentum in our town centre plans’ after admitting that the last 12-months have been a waste of time and money and that the Council have made no progress in moving the town centre forward is an insult to people’s intelligence.”

Councillor Khan also called for an end to what he called “an excessive culture of political spin” and a return to the days when politicians were held accountable for their actions. “If I had a pound for every time I read a Liberal Democrat claiming that this was ‘an exciting’ time for Rochdale I would be a rich man,” he argued. “People here are not fools; they want to see results, not just warm words. The Lib Dems are continually boasting of how they’re regenerating our town centre. Now that everyone knows we’ve not made one inch of progress over the last year, I hope they’ll do less spinning and concentrate more on trying to get results for Rochdale.”