Mayor Dave Writes: A Positive Vision for Town Centre Regeneration

Writing in the latest edition of the Local Government Association's First Magazine, Mayor Dave Hodgson has given a brief outline of his his vision for a thriving future for Bedford town centre in a difficult landscape for all UK high streets, in which it offers 'good quality shopping but also much more, for people of all ages.'

Mayor Dave writes that Bedford town centre 'must be an attractive destination in its own right, for leisure, culture, events and food and drink'. He identifies the successful redevelopment of The Higgins Bedford as an example of progress made already towards this end, and the 80-plus per cent pre-let riverside development as a project which will contribute towards all elements of the vision.

You can read the article in First Magazine here on the LGA website, while the text of Mayor Dave's article is below:

The UK High Street is in crisis. Last year, even as the economy picked up overall, net shop closures trebled to almost 1,000. Meanwhile, online and out-of-town shopping are here to stay as major features of the retail sector.

In these circumstances, some might argue for 'managed decline' of our town centres. In Bedford, however, we believe that their cultural, economic and social role is too important to allow it to wither. Instead, we're pursuing a vision to help Bedford town centre thrive in a changing landscape.

This vision is based on the conviction that that if Bedford town centre is going to be an economically and socially vibrant place in years to come, it has to offer good quality shopping but also much more, for people of all ages. It must be an attractive destination in its own right, for leisure, culture, events and food and drink. It should also be a place to live, and not somewhere that hollows out after shopping hours.

A lot has been achieved already, including a £6 million redevelopment of The Higgins Bedford gallery and museum. Looking ahead, one major project in particular will contribute towards all elements of the vision. Council-owned land which was previously the site of Council office buildings and a car park will soon host a cinema, riverside restaurants, two large squares for events and shared public space, apartments and a hotel.

The £36 million Riverside North development will create 250 jobs and boost footfall by hundreds of thousands. Encouragingly, over 80% of units are pre-let, well over a year before opening in 2017.

Like all town centres, Bedford must rise to major challenges in a changing landscape, but Riverside North and the vision it is helping to fulfil are generating real confidence in its ability to do so.