I know that there are lots of concerns about the potential plans to demolish The Forum and Market Hall buildings as part of a major redevelopment of Barrow Town centre. I wanted to provide my take on this, which is being considered by the Westmorland and Furness council cabinet next week.
Firstly, it is important to acknowledge that the structural problems at the Forum and Market Hall, combined with the presence of asbestos and recent water ingress, can’t be ignored. That means there are choices to be made. Patch them up, spending a good chunk of money to bring the buildings back in to use, or take the opportunity offered by Team Barrow with the £200m Barrow Transformation Fund to deliver an ambitious and exciting rebuild of our town centre.
We have an opportunity to reshape our town for the future, providing new theatre, shopping, culture, and leisure facilities. I want to see a thriving town again, one that attracts footfall that will sustain retail and hospitality again, somewhere people want to visit and enjoy.
However, it is important that in doing so we get the following things agreed in advance:
- A cast-iron commitment to replace the Forum.
- Rapid appointment of an experienced development partner and publication of plans before any demolition takes place.
- A commitment that local residents will shape the plans and the vision as they are created.
- Major investment that breathes life back into the town centre whilst the new town centre is built. This needs to deliver a high-quality temporary theatre space and other improvements.
I understand why people are worried. It feels like we have been stuck in a loop on this for years, and getting nowhere. We need to get on with it now, and this is why I think it’s different this time:
- We aren’t on our own – Team Barrow brings together Central Government, BAE Systems, and the Local Authority to deliver this. No other area in the country has been given that support.
- The government has provided £200m+ over 10 years to fund this transformation. That funding is a gamechanger, and the catalyst needed to bring in the additional private sector investment required.
- This is an internationally important project because of our role in the UK Submarine programme and AUKUS partnership – the eyes of the nation, and our international allies are on us. We cannot fail.
Most importantly we will succeed because, as a town, we have the people, skills, vision and ideas to make a success of this. I have no doubt there will be bumps in the road as we do the work needed, but ultimately the prize is worth it.
