News

Westgate residential developer 'may pull out'

June 19, 2008

The proposed provider of the residential element of a long-awaited Aldershot town centre leisure and housing complex is reviewing its involvement, the leader of Rushmoor Borough Council has said.

But Linden Homes has told gethampshire that it has made no decision over its position with the Westgate scheme.

Leader of the council Peter Moyle told colleagues yesterday evening (Thursday) that he was still convinced that Westgate - which should include a seven screen cinema, cafes, restaurants and a hotel - was right for Aldershot.

Linden Homes said its position was due to a backdrop of growing concerns nationally about the state of the economy and the housing market, which has seen a significant downturn in the number of new homes being built.

Rushmoor says that with more than 75% of the leisure scheme let and businesses still signing, the council and developer, Citygrove are committed to doing all they can to deliver the Aldershot scheme.

It added in a statement to be read to councillors last night that as the whole scheme is currently underpinned by residential development, the council and developer Citygrove are now urgently exploring all options to ensure the leisure element can still be delivered to the timescale, despite the potential loss of the housing.

These options range from the council taking a more direct financial role in the development to looking at other potential uses for the residential part of the nine-acre site and thecouncil will be exploring them in more detail in the next few weeks.

The scheme off Wellington Avenue would provide a family-focused leisure complex, offering a seven-screen Cineworld cinema at its heart, supported by restaurants and cafes, as well as an 87-bed Travelodge hotel and a new multi-storey car park.

Cllr Moyle said: “We are absolutely convinced this is right for Aldershot and that Citygrove has the commitment, knowledge and expertise to deliver this scheme.

"However, given the current housing market and national predictions about house sales, we are looking urgently at what we can do to ensure this does not jeopardise it.

"We believe it is prudent to act now to ensure that WestGate can be open for business in 2010.”

Gordon Aitchison, Chief Executive of Citygrove, said: “We are fully committed to delivering this scheme for Aldershot.

"We have signed up more than three-quarters of the end users and more are still coming on board, which shows the confidence that the market has in both Aldershot and the Westgate development.

"We will continue to work closely with the Council to find new alternative ways to deliver the scheme on time and that meet the needs of both the market and local people.”

For a full report and reaction, see Tuesday's Aldershot Mail.

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