BARNSLEY Council has submitted plans to remove a restriction on the Alhambra Centre which only allows the site to be used for shopping purposes.
Plans to create a new health hub in the town centre shopping centre - which is expected bring in 250,000 people a year - were announced back in March last year.
The venue will transform parts of the shopping centre to create convenient health services within the heart of the town centre.
A planning report states: “Since the centre opened in 1991, the character of this part of the town centre has markedly changed.
“Typical of the vast majority of comparable town centres across the country, the growth of online shopping, the closure of major stores and economic pressures led to a decline of footfall in this part of the town and an increase in vacancy rates.
“A retail study of Barnsley town centre by England and Lyle in June 2014 showed that vacancy rates in Barnsley town centre were 17 per cent compared to a national average of 11 per cent.
“Recognising this trend, the council has adopted a proactive approach to revitalise Barnsley town centre, as part of a wider ‘Better Barnsley’ vision, set out in the council’s economic strategy 2012-2033.”
However the Chronicle understands there is currently a condition on the site that it can only be used for shopping.
Subsequently an application was submitted earlier this week to remove the condition so the town centre health hub can pick up pace.
The report added: “The retail offer in the Alhambra Centre has significantly declined over the last decade because of changing consumer demand and the closure of major stores such as Woolworth’s, TK Maxx and Wilkinson’s.
“The previous owners of the major leasehold interests in the centre went into receivership in 2021, resulting in these interests transferring to their major creditors, who placed the centre on the open market in 2022.
“This was unsuccessful.
“Given the council’s freehold interest in the building and the centre’s importance in contributing to the wider regeneration of the markets area of the town centre, supported by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, the council entered into negotiations with the creditors, which resulted in the successful acquisition of the Alhambra leasehold interests in September 2023.
This significantly enabled the council to work with a range of partners to develop a long-term, sustainable strategy for the Alhambra Centre which was approved by the council’s cabinet in August 2023, which will involve consolidating retail uses on the ground floor and developing the first floor of the centre for phase two of the ‘Health-on-the High Street’ (HotHS) initiative.”
It is expected that more than 100,000 visitors a year will use the hub instead of Barnsley Hospital, with BPL’s offer attracting a further 150,000 a year.
Its first phase will focus on eye services and current providers say they will be speaking to patients and carers to get their views and ideas.
The Chronicle understands the application is just part of the process and there will be no delay in the development.
Public consultation ends on February 4.
