Bedlington Town Centre - Let local people shape the future

Northumberland County Council

What is built on the Bedlington Town Centre site will shape the future development of our community for decades to come. Whilst we desperately want it to happen as soon as possible, we need to get it right.

No meaningful consultation has taken place with local people since 2017 and with a retail crisis that has been accelerated by COVID we are concerned that ploughing ahead with the scheme without due consideration threatens our town in the long run.

We also note that only £1,455,490 has been allocated by the council for the Bedlington Town Centre redevelopment in the budget whilst £1.7 Million has been approved to build a car park in Morpeth. The promises made by the Tory administration and the Bedlington independents for a leisure facility have failed to be backed up by finance or a business plan.

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To: Northumberland County Council
From: [Your Name]

We the undersigned believe that the town centre development in Bedlington is critical to the future development of our community and as such, whilst we want it to happen as soon as possible, we need to get it right. No meaningful consultation has taken place with local people since 2017 and with a crisis in retail that has been accelerated by COVID we are concerned that ploughing ahead with the scheme without due consideration threatens our town in the long run.

We also note that only £1,455,490 has been allocated by the council for the Bedlington Town Centre redevelopment in the budget whilst £1.7 Million has been approved to build a car park in Morpeth. The promises made by the Tory administration and the Bedlington independents for a leisure facility have failed to be backed up by finance or a business plan.

We believe that Bedlington deserves better than being strung along for political gain and demand that proper funding is allocated to the site and that local people are given the opportunity to shape a development that will set the future direction of the town for decades to come.