A £1 billion 20-year regeneration programme of Stevenage town centre is well under way, promising to stimulate investment, introduce a night-time economy and drive greater footfall to retail and leisure facilities.
Stevenage was designated Britain's first post-war new town in 1946, intended to help alleviate congested urban areas and provide homes for people displaced due to the Second World War.
As such, the town occupies a unique place in British social history and set down the blueprint for modern living in the UK. It was the first town in the country to have a completely pedestrianised town centre, which visitors flocked to see.
However, and despite further developments such as the Westgate Shopping Centre in 1988 and The Forum in 1996-7, the town centre has seen a decline over the years, so its regeneration is much-needed.
The ambitious scheme includes delivering 7,300 new properties by 2028, improved transport and connectivity links and new shops, bars, restaurants and sports and leisure facilities.
In 2019, when the regeneration was in its infancy, Stevenage Borough Council's leader, Sharon Taylor OBE, explained: "Stevenage was the UK’s first new town, built more or less all at once, with the result that everything has aged at the same time, leaving the central spaces requiring investment.
"The town centre was designed as a traditional 9 to 5 shopping precinct, with limited homes, restaurants and bars within the area itself. That is now seen as an outdated approach.
"We aim to make Stevenage a place where people want to live, work, play and relax. Retail-only town centres are a thing of the past. Towns must look to mixed-use regeneration in order to drive footfall, further investment and, ultimately, to survive.
"We are working to introduce new food and beverage, residential, leisure and commercial facilities into our central spaces."
The council is delivering the scheme along with partners including Mace, Reef Group and Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
So far, completed schemes include pockets of town centre apartment blocks and an expansion of the existing railway station, introducing a fifth platform to help meet growing demand.
The relocation of the bus station from Town Square to opposite the railway station on Lytton Way is currently under way, aimed at improving accessibility across the town and travel links with the railway station, as well as offering heated covered waiting facilities and amenities including a café.
A £50m upgrade to the Queensway North area - the former site of Marks & Spencer and the adjoining buildings - is also ongoing. The development will introduce new retail, residential and commercial facilities, including a 24-hour gym and office space, along with 94 new homes and flexible working facilities.
Town Square has been revamped with the introduction of granite paving, bespoke retro lighting and new drainage facilities.
The development of the adjacent North Block - the site of Starbucks, Greggs and Subway - will provide new retail, commercial and flexible office space and will include the restoration of heritage building frontages based on Stevenage’s initial architectural heritage.
The site of the former McDonald’s unit has being stripped and refitted for a new restaurant.
Work has recently started on the former Matalan site on Danestrete, where 526 new homes will be built. There is also planning permission for 1,700 sq m of commercial space.
The SG1 scheme runs north to south from Swingate House, down Danestrete, and includes land along Southgate and between Southgate and Six Hills Way. It will deliver a phased regeneration of 14.5 acres of land, providing 11 new buildings over the next 10 years, and could involve Compulsory Purchase Orders of existing businesses.
The SG1 scheme includes a shared public and voluntary services hub that will house charities, a library, job centre, café and council offices under one roof.
The SG1 plan also includes 1,867 new homes, a primary school, ground floor retail and commercial space, a garden square and landscaped park.
Cllr Taylor said: “We have an unprecedented opportunity, a once-in-a-generation moment to revitalise the town and provide outstanding opportunities for local people and businesses."
For more about the regeneration, visit Stevenage-Even-Better.com
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