[00:00:00 – 00:00:34] Introduction & Council Property Acquisitions

[Visual Description]: The video opens with establishing shots of Evesham town centre, panning across the Riverside shopping centre and adjacent streets. A council representative stands outside near the site speaking directly to the camera. Cutaways show the exterior of the Town Hall, historic buildings in Market Square, and the former Marilyn's nightclub building.

Speaker (Cllr Emma Kearsey):

"Riverside has been the carbuncle on Evesham for many, many years, and so I'm very pleased to say Wychavon has now purchased Riverside and brought it into public ownership, so we now have full control over Riverside. We also own the Town Hall, which will be gifted to the Town Council, and also buildings in Market Square, and famously, we now as a District Council, we own Marilyn's nightclub."

[00:00:35 – 00:01:38] Public Consultation & Resident Feedback

[Visual Description]: Background music plays briefly during a transition. The scene shifts inside Evesham Town Hall, showing an active public consultation event with display boards, architectural concept sketches, and members of the public talking with council staff. Individual attendees are interviewed in turn.

Speaker 1 (Community Member):

"A big investment is definitely needed, and the event seems positive. They got good ideas. It's going to take a long time, as we know, but I am looking forward to it."

[Visual Description]:

Camera cuts to a second attendee inside the hall looking at display materials.

Speaker 2 (Community Member):

"Yeah, I think the presentation went really well. Appreciate they can't tell us a lot of detail at the moment, but all sounds really positive. Anything's better than what we've got at the moment."

[Visual Description]:

Cut to another resident speaking directly to the camera.

Speaker 3 (Community Member):

"Well, I think it's a tremendous opportunity for us all to say what we would like to see in the future. I personally would like to see something very exciting happening there, and I think the idea of mixed retail and commercial properties and entertainment centres would be great."

[Visual Description]:

Cut to a resident standing near the historical displays, followed by b-roll footage of the River Avon and surrounding parkland.

Speaker 4 (Community Member):

"I'm a massive fan of everything to do with the history of the town. Such an important story, such an important crossing on of the Avon. It needs to be something that reflects the history and heritage of Evesham."

[Visual Description]:

Cut to an attendee discussing public amenities with scenic views of the riverside park in the background.

Speaker 5 (Community Member):

"We do already have a lot of places where people can go and eat and get a cup of coffee in Evesham, but we need something different. We need something that's going to make the most of that beautiful space we have in the park, that beautiful vista we have."

[00:01:39 – 00:02:25] Next Steps and Planning Timeline

[Visual Description]: The council representative returns on screen inside the bustling Town Hall engagement event, addressing the camera. Cutaways show consultation attendees writing feedback forms and examining masterplan boards.

Speaker (Cllr Emma Kearsey):

"We've had an extremely well-attended engagement event here in the Town Hall, and there we've been able to listen to your thoughts as to what you want from Riverside going forward. The next stage is a planning application for the demolition, and we want to engage you with what goes around that demolition because it's going to be in place for 12 to 18 months. And then after that, we'll then be able to bring forward the mixture of housing, retail, and leisure, and that offering is going to be what the people of Evesham and the businesses of Evesham want to have for their town."

[Visual Description]:

The video fades to an end card featuring the Wychavon District Council logo and official contact / website information for following project updates.

The shopping centre has been in decline for several years, stretching back to the aftermath of the financial crash in 2008. Shopping habits have changed with more of us shopping online which has reduced demand from retailers for medium/large retail space in a traditional town centre shopping mall as they downsize or switch to website first ‘click and collect’ business models.

While it is true there are examples of shopping centres still thriving around the UK, they tend to be large multi-use destinations with a mix of retail, restaurants and leisure attractions or out of town retail parks. They offer more modern, flexible use spaces which is still sought after, particularly by national chain retailers.

Smaller secondary shopping centres – like the Riverside – have been hit hardest by the change in our shopping habits and lack of demand from businesses. Most of the units are outdated. The centre has been underinvested in for some time, and it would require a significant amount of money to modernise the building for today’s retail market.Previous owners have explored options for the site but have been unable to come up with a viable scheme. If we did this ourselves, there is no guarantee the units would be let, and we will have spent a significant amount of our limited time and money and ultimately still be in the same place.

Our proposal offers an exciting opportunity to do more than just replace one shopping centre with another. Instead, we have the chance to widen the benefits by transforming the heart of the town centre through reconnecting it with the town’s key assets like Abbey Park and the River Avon and create a mix of uses that will attract new investment and support the long-term future of Evesham Town Centre.

Houses are included in the scheme, not because we don’t want or support shops, but because a retail-only scheme is unlikely to attract the level of investment needed to redevelop the site. Adding homes to our proposal economically supports our wider ambition to regenerate the town centre. Housing brings in more people who will use town centre businesses, creates opportunities for new investment and is supported by national and local planning policy. Without the inclusion of housing, it is unlikely that a retail- and leisure-only scheme could be delivered or sustained in the long term.

It’s important to remember this is a mixed-use proposal. Shops, restaurants and other leisure businesses remain an important part of the future vision for Evesham Town Centre.

We’re not ruling this out, and we understand why people would like to see new leisure attractions such as a cinema, bowling alley or similar uses in the town. These types of businesses are run by private operators. Ultimately, whether particular leisure operators choose to invest is a decision for them, based on market demand.

Our role is to create the right conditions for investment by bringing the site forward for redevelopment and working with a development partner to deliver a scheme that is attractive to businesses.

A mixed-use development gives the best chance of attracting these types of businesses to the town centre.

Yes the car park will be demolished as part of the redevelopment.

The multi-storey car park is in poor condition and underused. As part of the evidence for the demolition planning application, we have ordered a survey of parking capacity across the town centre.

Early results indicate that even without the multi-storey car park, there is enough capacity across existing car parks to cope with demand. Ensuring there is adequate parking to support the mixed-used scheme we are proposing will be one of the factors that will need to be fully considered during the formal planning application process.

We are committed to minimising disruption for nearby businesses and residents wherever possible. As part of the planning process, we will be required to submit a Noise and Air Quality Assessment alongside an agreed Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP). The CEMP itself will detail measures including controlled working hours to reduce noise during sensitive periods, and to limit dust and general disturbance.

Construction deliveries and traffic will be managed through an agreed Traffic Management Plan, including designated routes and timing restrictions to avoid peak periods, while maintaining access for customers, staff, and suppliers. Clear signage will be provided alongside regular communication with businesses throughout the works, including advance notice of key activities and a dedicated contact for any concerns, to help ensure businesses can continue to operate as smoothly as possible.

Any redevelopment will need to demonstrate Evesham’s road network and parking provision can cope with the expected level of use. This will be carefully considered as part of the planning process. People who live close to shops, services and transport links tend to make fewer journeys by car as their needs can be met within walking or cycling distance.

Our first aim is to demolish the building. We will also appoint a development partner later this year who will work with us on a detailed planning application which will contain this information. We are also committed to further engagement with residents when we get to that stage of the process.

We expect the initial demolition phase to last about 18 months to two years. After that it is difficult to say at this stage. However, we will be running the development of the scheme and the planning application process alongside the demolition so as not to cause any unnecessary delay.

Evesham Public Hall will be protected and maintained during the demolition process. It will be refurbished and brought back into use as part of the wider regeneration project.

Unfortunately, the toilets in Abbey Park will be demolished as part of the demolition of the Riverside Shopping Centre site. We will provide a high-quality alternative within the park as a temporary measure while we work on a permanent solution. We will ensure the closure is properly advertised when we have a date.

The toilets in Abbey Park are tired and in need of investment. This is a fantastic opportunity to create something modern, and to the same high standard, as our other award-winning public toilets across the district.

Businesses still trading inside the centre have been given notice they need to leave the centre at the earliest possible opportunity. The centre will remain open while this process takes place.

We are supporting the charitable organisations that occupy units within the centre to relocate and we are confident they will all have somewhere else to base their operations from in the near future.

A deep clean of the centre took place in mid-April. A plan is now in place to ensure cleansing is monitored and issues are responded to appropriately. This includes keeping the outside areas free from litter.

We will ensure the building remains safe to use until the centre is closed and demolition can begin.

Although the building is now under our control, the centre needs to remain open and continue to be managed day-to-day until all businesses have left.

As the previous owner already has the staff and systems in place to do this, we have agreed they will run the centre on our behalf until it is empty but with direction from us. This will be less disruptive and ensure we can move more quickly to the demolition phase of the project.

The freehold to Evesham Town Hall is already owned by Evesham Town Council. We have bought the leasehold to the building as part of the Riverside regeneration deal. 

We have offered to gift the leasehold to Evesham Town Council and they have accepted. We hope this transfer of ownership can be completed as soon as is practicably possible.

This will guarantee one of the most important civic and heritage buildings in Evesham will be properly looked after into the future.

The clock will be removed and stored safely before demolition takes place. We will then look for ways the clock can be used within the new development or elsewhere within the town centre.

We don't anticipate Local Government Reorganisation impacting the project. By the time Local Government Reorganisation happens on 1 April 2028, the project will be well advanced and at the point where we will be seeking planning permission. Our strong expectation is the new unitary council that replaces Wychavon will simply oversee the final stages of the project.