Covid outbreak will not delay new £34m ‘village centre’
SOLIHULL’S regeneration chiefs are confident that a long-awaited project to replace a run-down shopping precinct will not suffer further delays because of coronavirus.
The council has said that it is still proposing to submit the outline planning application to redevelop the ageing Kingshurst Parade this summer.
More than 100 residents had attended two drop-in sessions during February, which marked the first time that the local authority had indicated when the proposals were likely to be considered by councillors.
Some thought the process may be delayed because of the lockdown.
But officers overseeing the £34 million scheme have suggested they intend to keep to the schedule as set out some six weeks ago.
A spokesman said:
“Crucially, despite the difficult situation we all find ourselves in at the moment, the project is progressing as planned. The team is adapting to working in the current restrictions and a considerable amount of work can be done remotely. We are confident at this stage that we can continue working to deliver an outline planning application this summer, with a view to submitting a detailed application and securing the final funding approval next year.”
Under this time frame, work would start on-site in 2022.
The creation of a new village centre at Kingshurst Parade has suffered several delays since the proposals were first put forward 15 years ago.
The council said the process has taken longer than the earlier redevelopments at neighbouring North Arran Way and Chelmund’s Cross because many premises are not owned by the local authority. Recently the focus of negotiations has been acquiring these various sites. Around 80 residents and business owners had responded to a consultation on the redevelopment plans and their comments are expected to help refine the proposals set to be submitted to the planning department in the coming months.
Officers conceded constraints around layout and a desire to redevelop the site in phases puts limits on how drastically the plans could be altered at this stage.