"Major opportunities passed Bedford by and places like Rushden Lakes surged ahead": Mayor defends Mayes Yard project

Tom Wootton clapped back at Liberal Democrats, saying Bedford is just being passed by, with Rushden Lakes – the major shopping centre less than half an hour away – surging further and further ahead.

The row erupted when the Lib Dems blasted the mayor, saying a cross-party scrutiny committee was unhappy with published proposals to develop the Mayes Yard area.

Earlier this year, we revealed how Cityheart had been picked as the preferred bidder for the Mayes Yard which would revitalise this prominent area – including the former Debenhams building – into a mixed-use destination.

But the Lib Dems claim a lack of an overarching plan could mean very little will actually be delivered, in reality.

Henry Vann, Bedford Lib Dems leader, said: “It is great that there is now a chance to get a better plan in place to redevelop and regenerate our town centre for future generations – we want to see something positive for residents rather than the mayor’s current empty building, and a disappointing piecemeal approach that would risk a half-finished development, delivering no transformation, and costing taxpayers half a million pounds already.”

But the mayor was having none of it, pointing to Rushden Lakes which has gone from strength to strength since opening in 2017.

Shops include Barbour, Clarks, FatFace and Frasers as well as M&S, River Island and Body Shop – the last three of which pulled out of Bedford town centre to much upset.

He said: “For far too many years, our town centre was allowed to decline while major opportunities passed Bedford by and places like Rushden Lakes surged ahead. I am changing that.

“There will always be people who can find reasons why something cannot be done, but Mayes Yard represents an incredible opportunity to transform the heart of our town.

“Of course a regeneration project of this scale carries risk, major projects always do. But those risks have been properly assessed, managed and mitigated, and that should give us the confidence to move forward.

“Bedford cannot move forward if we are frightened of ambition. We have an opportunity to deliver one of the biggest transformations our town centre has seen in decades, and I intend to make the most of it.”

However, a Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “The Budget and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Thursday to consider a call-in of Executive Decision relating to the appointment of a preferred developer to bring forward the regeneration of Mayes Yard.

“In accordance with the council’s constitution, the committee considered representations from those who called in the decision, the decision-makers, witnesses, officers and legal advisers. The committee resolved to refer the original decision, together with the concerns it identified, back to the decision-maker for further consideration and review.”