What now for Silver Hill? - TrustNews March 10
Many Trust members probably had mixed feelings when they heard that Thornfield Ventures Ltd Group – (the parent company of Thornfield Properties plc and Thornfield Properties (Winchester) - the intended developers of Silver Hill had gone into administration. It is apparently only the parent company which has been placed into administration and this was as a direct result of the current economic recession and a bank takeover. The City Council tell us that the risks had always been clearly identified and there was no action which the Council could have taken to prevent the present situation. It does not mean that the regeneration of the Silver Hill area will not happen at some stage and the City Council is now reviewing all options to identify the best way forward.
Some of the comments we hear are these: “Oh good let’s have a better scheme.” “Can we now have an architectural competition?” “Can the Council not look at other alternatives?”
When the present scheme for redevelopment of the Silver Hill area eventually came to the City Council the Trust made very detailed comments but was generally supportive of the redevelopment. We particularly welcomed the regeneration of what had become a very run down eyesore in the heart of our historic City*.
Believe it or not the original proposals for redevelopment of this whole area date back exactly 21 years and started when Stagecoach (who owned then and, as far as we know, still own a large part of the site) floated the idea to the City Council of closing their bus station and putting all their buses out on to the Broadway! This they could have done without any permission from the City Council. As a City Councillor at that time I remember the concern we all felt that this should not happen and that a comprehensive new scheme to include a replacement bus station should be sought. The Bus Company were already talking to the Thornfield Group about a joint venture for such a scheme.
It was not until February 2009 that the current planning application was finally approved after almost 3 years of detailed negotiations. Just to remind ourselves this would involve the retention and conversion of the Woolstaplers Hall, the construction of 9 new buildings, including significant new retail shopping, 287 dwellings, 15 live/work units, a new bus station, a youth centre, a replacement club and parking. The Trust had significant reservations about the scale of the buildings but felt that the whole package, if delivered in accordance with the detailed planning agreement, would improve the appearance and vitality of that part of the City Centre. We certainly believed that higher sustainability standards would be needed when further detailed plans came forward. For several years as a Policy Group we have carefully monitored progress on the scheme, with regular questions to Council officers. We knew that the City Council had undertaken all the necessarily time-consuming and complex work before serving a compulsory purchase order on all the landowners involved. This was about to happen and would have allowed the comprehensive redevelopment to proceed. As the funding for this was dependent on Thornfield the City Council has now suspended this process. The Friarsgate Doctors’ Practice has already moved to their new home at Weeke; the St Clements’ Doctors’ Practice was due to be relocated in new purpose-built premises in the City Centre, as part of the overall scheme.
So where do we now stand? At the recent Trust Council meeting we all agreed that our general support for this redevelopment should be maintained. It cannot be in the best interests of this historic City for the dilapidation and neglect of such a significant area to continue indefinitely. We still do not know what the City Council’s next move will be. The City actually owns very little of the site and it was always dependent on the active co-operation of a wouldbe developer. It is certainly a depressing thought that we could face several more years of inactivity as the whole area grows more and more neglected and unloved. We are now pressing the City Council for a full explanation of what real options they now have. We were encouraged throughout the earlier discussions that the significant mix of new housing was retained, including rented housing for local needs. We will be keen to ensure that any new changes retain this significant mix of housing to bring vitality and life to that area, which should not become a ghost town after the shops close.
Once the City Council has carried out its current review with its professional advisers, the Trust will look further at how we can help to move things forward.
*The Silver Hill proposals involve redeveloping the following buildings:
Bus Station, Marks and Spencer’s warehouse (Woolstaplers hall) and car park, Friarsgate Multi Storey Car Park, Iceland, St Clements Surgery, Friarsgate Medical Centre, Ciotbury House (NHS), Antiques Market, Kings Walk shops and offices, the ROAB Club, Lloyds Pharmacy, Sainsburys supermarket and the old Post Office and sorting office.