Plan to buy out town centre units for regeneration

4 hours ago

Federica BedendoNorth East and Cumbria

The regeneration plan of Barrow is expected to take 10 years

Team Barrow An artist's impression of the Barrow town centre plans. From left to right there is a hotel, a "Theatre Landmark Building", Cultural Quarter, and Town Hall. A blue building in the middle is labelled "market". Another building on the right of it has the words: "Heart of Barrow". — The regeneration plan of Barrow is expected to take 10 years

Properties in a town centre could be bought from owners without their consent under plans to redevelop the area.

Westmorland and Furness Council is expected to start preparing paperwork for what is known as a compulsory purchase order, to buy properties in Barrow town centre as part of a regeneration programme.

A report prepared ahead of Tuesday's cabinet meeting, where the proposal will be discussed, said the Liberal Democrat authority would look to negotiate any purchase with owners in the first instance.

However, the council said several parcels it wants to use as part of its plans may be difficult to acquire "due to absentee landlords" or "unrealistic expectations of land value".

The report said: "Without a mechanism to secure all required land, the regeneration scheme risks delay or failure."

Aspects of the plan are not made public due to commercial sensitivity and the council declined to disclose how many properties it wanted to purchase and how much money was available for it.

Barrow's regeneration programme, known as the Heart of Barrow, looks to address long-standing issues in the town, including "declining commercial vitality".

It would include a new theatre venue, market, commercial space and public areas built over 10 years, with the first phase expected to cost about £23m.

The council is looking to acquire property in the area around the Forum venue, which has been closed for two years due to asbestos issues.

The area includes the land between Market Street and Cornwallis Street, and Dalton Road and Portland Walk.

The red line shows the area of Barrow town centre which is part of the regeneration scheme, with the blue line showing the first phase

Westmorland and Furness Council A map of Barrow town centre showing which parts are included in the regeneration scheme. The blue line around the Forum and market shows where the first phase would take place. — The red line shows the area of Barrow town centre which is part of the regeneration scheme, with the blue line showing the first phase

During public consultation events held last month, the team behind the regeneration said they had started having conversations with property owners and preparing for the eventuality of compulsory purchase would mean avoiding delays.

The report said: "Negotiated acquisition will be pursued as where advantageous however, compulsory purchase order powers may be required to ensure timely delivery and to aid negotiations, reduce property acquisition costs and delay."

It added compulsory purchase would only be authorised if it was in the public interest to complete the regeneration scheme.

Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram and listen to Radio Cumbria on BBC Sounds.