Fury mounts at lost shops

A councillor is calling in the National Audit Office as fury mounts in Leegomery over the way a scheme to replace its shopping centre - destroyed by fire three years ago - was abruptly dropped by developers.


Redrow has confirmed it is pulling out of the project completely and, with no replacement supermarket now within sight, angry residents are blaming Telford & Wrekin Council for their lost amenities because of its insistence that the new scheme contained a housing element.

All along, residents fought the extent of the plans insisting that there was no need for extra housing when all they wanted was their shops back.

But Telford & Wrekin stuck to its guns. Lines of trees were hacked down to clear the site and the council even bought up the Thomas Telford pub to free up land.

Councillor Ron Plendereith said: “The whole episode is an example of the waste of taxpayers’ money of the highest order.

“I am now instigating a National Audit Office inquiry into the whole sorry affair so that we can determine how much money was wasted demolishing the pub and cutting trees in the area.

“The total result of this farce is that pensioners and residents in Leegomery still have no shops and must travel to Wellington or Hadley to make even the simplest purchases.”

The scheme began with the council when it was Labour-run and when the Tories took power, they said it was too late to stop it.

Fiona Hunter from Leegomery Area Residents Association said: “We did not want the flats or residential developments. It took three and a half years to get to this stage and we still haven’t got what we want.”

Raquel Argente from Leegomery Chemist - which is still operating from a “temporary” site - said: “It is getting to the point where I don’t believe anything I hear anymore.”

A spokesman for Redrow said: “Our contract with Telford & Wrekin Council was subject to a number of conditions being satisfied by October 31, 2008.

“Those conditions were not all satisfied by that date and, as a consequence, Redrow has reviewed its position and decided to withdraw from the scheme.”

Councillor Eric Carter, cabinet member for regeneration said: “There are options available to us and we will now investigate these as a matter of urgency to see if the council itself can deliver the shopping centre. on behalf of the local community.”