U-turn on demolition of city shopping centre

The Ridings shopping centre in Wakefield will be transformed into a "vibrant leisure destination" under new plans unveiled by the city council.

The centre had been set to be demolished under the previous Labour administration, but Reform UK promised to review the plans when they came into power in May.

The new proposals were put forward following a public consultation which received more than 3,000 responses. They will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting on 17 November.

Wakefield Council leader Karl Johnson said: "Our plan will inject a new lease of life into the centre and deliver the cafés, restaurants, bars, leisure attractions and cultural activities that complement retail."

A council spokesperson said the next step would be to appoint an independent specialist adviser to develop a new commercial plan for the centre.

"This will be focused on retaining the centre's current strengths, attracting new leisure and hospitality operators and mapping out any building work and the wider financial implications of any plans," they added.

Johnson said: "Anything we do has to work in the long-term.

"The plan needs to financially stack up and not put council budgets at risk."

Despite the financial constraints facing local governments, Johnson said he was "confident that together we can build an exciting next chapter for The Ridings and deliver something that we can all get behind".

Opened in 1983, The Ridings was one of the first American-style shopping malls in the UK and became an attraction for shoppers across the north.

But less than a third of its shops were occupied this summer.

Some buildings surrounding the centre which had been set for demolition will no longer be affected, but plans to demolish the city centre tower blocks owned by Vico Homes will go ahead.

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