Churchgate Redevelopment

By HitchinPeople | Monday, November 15, 2010, 12:44

The Churchgate Redevelopment in Hitchin has been on the

View from Hollow Lane
View from above, High Street, Hitchin
View from above, top of the Corn Exchange

cards for some time now. The driving

force behind the change is to ensure Hitchin’s retail future.

As the plans stand at the time of writing the main change

will be to the existing Churchgate Shopping Centre and to the area around St

Mary’s church.

Some of the key objectives to the redevelopment are as

follows:

To provide suitable space for the ‘big brands’ as well as

smaller units for independent traders.

Enable Hitchin to compete with nearby bigger shopping areas

such as Stevenage, Luton, Milton Keynes, Cambridge and Bedford.

Rejuvenate some of Hitchin’s less attractive areas

Increase accessibility

Utilise the attractive area around the River Hiz and St Mary’s

Church

Move and rejuvenate the outdoor market

Simons’ proposal will offer retail units as big as 25,000 sq

ft in the hope of attracting bigger highstreet brands. The scheme also supports potential locations

for new restaurants, leisure facilities, and office space.

Some believe this redevelopment will have a negative impact

on the town’s character. The concerns

raised include the obstructed view from St Mary’s Church, the apparent lack of

provision for market stall holders to load and unload and concerns over the

whole development turning into somewhat of a ‘white elephant’ considering the

number of existing empty retail units.

What are your views about the redevelopment? Is it about time Hitchin had a facelift or do

you feel like the Council is trying to fix what is not broken?

One way for people to keep up to date with the developments

is at the Churchgate Liasion Forum (CLF) meetings. According to North Herts District Council the

purpose of this forum “is to give Simons the opportunity to test ideas and

ensure an open and effective dialogue between the developer and the town”. The next meeting will be held in the Church

House, Hitchin on 24th November at 6.30pm.

Full details regarding the Churchgate Redevlopment Scheme

can be found on the NHDC website.

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Comments

Churchgate should be bulldozed to the ground ASAP. The rates are charged to the shop owners at around 6000 PA along with rents of 17000.00 PA for substandard accommodation 24000.00 PA for this area is a real joke.
Dunks are frequently vomiting outside the shops and men use Churgate as some where to pee on a Thursday, Friday & Saturday night. The smell of urine is terrible. This is a truly vile part of Hitchin that serious shoppers don't visit. The sooner it's all gone, the better for everyone involved.

By facelift1234 at 21:01 on 28/04/11
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The whole of Churchgate should be buldozed. It's a vile place that serious shoppers avoid. Drunks are sick there every Friday and Saturday night and Men use the area as a place to pee. A truly horrid part of Hitchin that has to go.

By facelift1234 at 20:53 on 28/04/11
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It was seem the raw findings of the spending prediction report have not been made available to the Churchgate Liaison Forum. As it is being used to justify the development, it should be made public before the redesign of Hitchin. Without this we have no evidence that the development brings any benefit to the people of Hitchin.

By YYYDavid at 08:44 on 04/12/10
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Thanks for your comment. In answer to your question the quote "ensure Hitchin's retail future" comes from the official documents released by NHDC when outlining the findings of reports into local spending and predictions for the future. Have you seen the article about the redevelopment published this afternoon, outlining one business owner's concerns?

By HitchinPeople at 16:12 on 03/12/10
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I would like to question a couple of points raised in this article.

"The driving force behind the change is to ensure Hitchin’s retail future" - who says? The driving force at the moment seems to be Simons' need for profit, or is it the council's inability to accept they are in the wrong?

"Enable Hitchin to compete with nearby bigger shopping areas such as Stevenage, Luton, Milton Keynes, Cambridge and Bedford". - Hitchin already competes with these towns, but it competes by being different, by filling a niche in the market. If Hitchin has the same shops as every other town then those towns will win out simply by being bigger.

I would absolutely agree that Churchgate is in need of rejuvanation but not the whole of the twon. We should stick to what is needed, and what was asked for originally. If this doesn't suit Simons then that is their bad fortune - they must not be allowed to impose their will on the people of Hitchin.

By YYYDavid at 15:50 on 03/12/10
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