Council to Spend £200,000 on Shopping Centre Work

An expenditure exceeding £200,000 is being allocated for damp-proofing a section of a city’s shopping centre. Herefordshire Council, the proprietor of Maylord Orchards, indicated that the contract pertains to work at the Hereford centre’s former Shopmobility unit, noting that failure to complete this work could result in higher future costs. The council also disclosed that for more than a year, it has received no revenue from the unoccupied Wilko shop, which was previously the centre’s largest until the homeware retailer entered administration in 2023. The 17,000-sq-ft branch remains vacant, with the Wilko signage still in place. The council stated that the company’s winding-up process is expected to be finalized within the next six months. A spokesperson added that the previous tenant was responsible for ongoing costs, including business rates, but the authority is endeavoring to secure a new tenant for the future. The council’s preceding administration purchased the shopping centre for over £4 million in 2020, with a segment of it initially designated for a new library and learning centre for the city. Nevertheless, the current Conservative-led administration reallocated these proposed sites to the city’s Shire Hall, where conversion work is presently under way. This information was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which reports on councils and other public service organizations. Information from BBC Hereford & Worcester is available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. This content is copyrighted by BBC 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites and provides information on its external linking policy.