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A message from North Herts District Council...
North Herts Council is taking a major step forward in its plans for the future of Churchgate and the surrounding area, with the search beginning for a development partner to help turn the community’s ambitions into deliverable proposals.
The next stage of the project involves launching a procurement process to identify a development partner to work with the Council on a feasibility study to explore future opportunities for Churchgate, Biggin Lane Car Park and Portmill East and West Car Parks.
The development partner will provide specialist expertise to assess potential development options, undertake feasibility work and consider what opportunities are viable and deliverable.
The work will consider factors including community benefits, the character and heritage of Hitchin, the future needs of residents, businesses and visitors, as well as economic viability and environmental objectives. It will also be guided by the Council’s Development Principles which were shaped as part of the public and stakeholder consultation.
No decisions have been made regarding the form, scale or timing of any future redevelopment. The procurement process is intended to help the Council understand the opportunities and constraints associated with the sites and does not commit the Council to any particular proposal.
Councillor Tamsin Thomas, Executive Member for Enterprise at North Herts Council, said:
“Appointing a development partner is a huge step forward for Churchgate, building on all the work we have done to understand the potential of the site and, importantly, what local people have told us they want for its future. Working with our development partner, we can start to flesh out the detail. I’m excited to see ideas take shape for the Hiz and our public spaces, for supporting Hitchin Market and our town centre shops, and for creating new housing opportunities for our residents. There is still a lot of work to do, and we need to make sure it's viable, but this is an exciting next step in turning the community’s ambitions for Churchgate into something we can deliver.”
Churchgate Shopping Centre is home to a wide range of established businesses and plays an important role in Hitchin town centre. There won't be any changes to the current operation or management of the Centre during this procurement process.
The Council will engage with tenants, businesses, residents and other stakeholders as part of any future consultation and decision-making process.
Further information about the Churchgate project is available at: The Churchgate Conversation | The Churchgate Conversation
