THE ‘gun has been fired’ on controversial proposals for a market hall space on the Bridge Street car park in Stourport.
At a meeting of Wyre Forest District Council’s cabinet on Tuesday, members were asked to consider the plans for a flexible market hall space as part of its planned Medium Term Financial Strategy and agreed to progress things on to the next stage.
The concept is to deliver a redevelopment scheme linking the historic basins to the town centre, improving road safety, enhancing the conservation area, and creating new jobs.
Council leader, Coun Marcus Hart, said that this was starting the firing gun to demonstrate to Stourport the council was committed to the areas redevelopment.
He added: “I’m determined as a council that we do invest in Bridge Street and bring a viable scheme that links up to and opens up the basins.
“We have made contact with the Canal and Rivers Trust to get a meaningful development there that will complement the town and re-use that redundant brownfield site.”
Coun Hart added that the first thing to do as part of the scheme would be to secure the full council’s approval of the Medium Term Financial Strategy.
If this goes through, the proposals will be subject to the formal planning application later on in the year.
Coun Dan Morehead, Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration, Planning and the Green Agenda, said the council would be looking to hold engagement sessions on the Bridge Street plans, possibly in January.
Local businesses have recently petitioned Stourport Town Council to reopen the site as a car park.
Stourport Civic Society, meanwhile, has claimed its detailed research confirmed these plans were ‘unviable’ and urged the council to temporarily reopen the car park.
Coun Morehead said the car park has been removed from the car park order in order to be able to advance development, and bringing it back into use as a car park would take them back to square one.
Andrew Booton, Chairman of Stourport Civic Society, previously told the Standard the group welcomed the announcement on the Bridge Street Car Park site as it confirmed the council had listened to the people of Stourport and acknowledged the strong public interest in this site’s regeneration.
He added the Civic Society has requested a meeting with the district council, Stourport Town Council, Canal and River Trust, Stourport Civic Society, and Stourport Forward to present its findings.
