Row over '£1 sale' of former Debenhams in Bedford as mayor brands claim 'misleading'
An opposition claim that the mayor of Bedford and his cabinet have agreed to sell off the Debenhams building for as little as £1 has been taken out of context, the town’s Conservative administration warned.
A cross-party group of councillors have opted to call in the planned sale of the former department store, which closed in May 2021 and was acquired by Bedford Borough Council to rejuvenate the town centre.
Liberal Democrat group leader and De Parys councillor Henry Vann described it as “beyond belief that the mayor is willing to dispose of a building that cost £1.8m to buy for just £1”, saying: “This decision needs serious investigation by a council scrutiny committee.
“Rushing through half-baked plans to redevelop this area that includes Debenhams, Beales, the central library and Bedford Corn Exchange isn’t good enough.
“We want to see good quality redevelopment that brings life back to this important area. But the mayor’s proposal sees the council giving up the property it owns for next to nothing, and there isn’t even a complete redevelopment scheme planned in return.”
But mayor Tom Wootton accused the local authority’s Liberal Democrats, Labour and Greens of “inaccuracy in trying to reduce a complex regeneration agreement to a misleading headline about ‘selling Debenhams for £1’, when no such sale has been agreed”.
He explained: “The people of Bedford want to see our town centre thriving again, which is what this project is about.
“There’s no agreed £1 sale of the former Debenhams building. That figure is simply a technical minimum within a phased development agreement, not the price the council expects to receive.
“BBC remains under a legal duty to secure the best consideration reasonably available. It will also receive a share of any additional profits, if the development performs better than expected.
“The real choice is simple. We can continue moving forward with the regeneration of Mayes Yard and bring homes, businesses, visitors and investment back into Bedford town centre.
“Or we can allow political point-scoring to delay another major regeneration project. What’s particularly disappointing is that the opposition has spent years saying Bedford needs town centre renovation.
“Now that a regeneration partner has been selected and the project is moving forward, they’re trying to undermine it with misleading claims instead of helping deliver the transformation residents want.
“The Liberal Democrats supported the council buying Debenhams and backed a revamp of the site. Ultimately, Conservatives are focused on bringing life back into Bedford town centre.”
Deputy leader of the Labour Group and Kempston South councillor Carl Meader said: “This is one of many examples where the mayor and his cabinet have complete disregard for elected members of the borough council.
“The Mayor has said many times he wishes to work cross-party. Obviously this isn’t the case.”
Green Party Castle and Newnham councillor Paul Edmonds added: “The Mayes Yard project has the potential to be a once-in-a-generation rejuvenation for Bedford.
“As town centre councillors, we genuinely want it to succeed. But the bigger and more important the decision, the greater the need for clarity and transparency.
“We must ensure that public assets are protected and the scheme can be delivered for the benefit of Bedford. Our worry is that neither is guaranteed under this proposal.”
It would be “misleading” to suggest the former Debenhams building is costing £450,000 a year to stand empty, according to the Conservatives.
Part of the premises is being used already as the What’s On Hub, said the group. “Identified annual property costs are:
- utilities in the region of £30,000;
- net business rates of about £55,700;
- insurance is around £16,400;
- and security at roughly £3,000.
“That totals just over £105,000 per year, plus borrowing costs and any essential maintenance expenditure.”