Delays and costs related to the retail units within the new Rawtenstall bus station, which is part of the wider Spinning Point town center development, were discussed at Rossendale City Council.
Financial contributions from city councils and companies, gas connections, rising costs and the previous interruption of companies due to the covid pandemic were some of the issues raised by the councillors. The new bus station was built as part of the first phase of the Rawtenstall Spinning Point project by Rossendale City Council with other organisations. The first phase also included the redevelopment of the old town hall into new office space.
Buses leave from the station, but councilors say arrangements inside for new businesses are sketchy. There have been problems with utility connections and night opening, councilors said in recent months. Speaking at the last full meeting of Rossendale Council, the leader of the Tory group, Earl David Foxcroft, said: “Can the leader of the council or the head of the cabinet say how much money has been spent on Spinning Point since the phase one with the bus station to make elements suitable for companies to use, such as the gas network and other costs related to the developments?
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Labor councilor Alyson Barnes, leader of the council, said the cost of retrofitting the bus station was £133,000. The council had given £8,000, while £74,000 came from Lancashire County Council and the balance of £51,000 was from commercial tenants.
Foxcroft County then asked: “Why, after three years, are we still not seeing the units that we were told are so vital to the downtown area not fully occupied? Is Rawtenstall’s plan now out of whack?
Earl Barnes responded: “The short answer is that the covid pandemic paid off a lot of business plans for two years. Also rising costs, for contractors and raw materials, have been a factor, certainly for a company. There are complex challenges. This is the moment in which we find ourselves. However, we are confident that it will come to fruition, probably in early 2023.”
Spinning Point phase two originally proposed a £9 million mixed-use development with recreational, hospitality, housing and commercial uses, plus a new area of public space with landscaping and roadworks. But elements like a hotel were later modified to suggest a smaller spa.
But the modified phase two plans were scrapped in early 2020. Big changes in the retail sector, Rawtenstall’s growing independent retail scene, and the financial risks and returns of big developments were some of the factors cited.
Opposition councilors at the time welcomed the decision but criticized the cost to the council, reportedly estimated at £1.4m linked to the spa.
Speaking at the same time, Countess Alyson Barnes conceded that some of Spinning Point’s ideas had been unpopular. But she also said Rawtenstall was “very lively” and had become a different place than when the ideas were first drafted.
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