Council to agree vision for Kidderminster town centre

The ’final piece in the jigsaw’ for the transformation of the eastern side of Kidderminster Town Centre is due to be discussed by Wyre Forest District Council this month.

The council has been working with local consultants, One Creative Ltd, to create a vision for ‘Parcel Four’ of Lion Fields, which centres on the Bromsgrove Street Car Park and surrounding area.  The plans to be considered by the council will transform the eastern side of the town centre, delivering new spaces and uses within the town and creating a new link between Bromsgrove Street and Worcester Street.

Feasibility studies have been completed looking at potential residential and commercial developments, environmental improvements and incorporating a new public open space to create a new identity for this part of the town in line with the council’s ReWyre objectives.

This latest phase would also provide a key link to ‘Parcel 1’ at Lion Fields, which is the new leisure-led redevelopment of the former Glades Site.

However, turning the vision into a reality will require external funding and a new national fund to breathe new life into Britain’s high streets could be the key to achieving this.

Wyre Forest District Council is to bid for money from the Government’s new ‘Future High Streets Fund’ in order to support the financing of the latest phase of the Lion Fields development.

In the meantime, the council will be soft-market testing the site to assess the appetite from private sector companies who may wish to be involved in the scheme.

Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Planning Councillor Chris Rogers said:

“We see this latest phase of Lion Fields as the final piece in the jigsaw and a key step in reconnecting this part of the town centre through the creation of a new and attractive space linking the Lion Fields area with Worcester Street where work is already underway on a £2m improvement programme.

“The plans we are considering are visionary and would provide a complete transformation of this part of town centre, offering new public spaces and diversifying the offer.  However, the delivery of the vision will not be met by the private sector alone and will require the public sector to take the lead.

 “With this in mind, the council will be working with public partners and private sector companies to bring about this transformation in partnership and we hope to secure funding from the Government’s new High Streets Fund initiative in order to continue with the transformation of Kidderminster town centre.

“This new funding stream was only announced in December and our regeneration team is working hard to pull together a compelling bid for the Government to invest in the future of the town and to help us deliver our ambitions.”

The latest phase of Lion Fields will be discussed by members of Wyre Forest District Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 7 February. It will then be discussed by Cabinet.  The plans will then form the basis of the ‘Future High Streets Fund’ bid which is to be submitted to Government in March.