South Lanarkshire Council Leader Joe Fagan has moved to alleviate local concerns over the sale of East Kilbride Civic Centre.
The public have hit out at plans that could see the town without a civic building and bring about the permanent closure of the Ballerup Hall – a popular community entertainment venue which has hosted large events in the town since 1966.
This is the latest development in the bold new masterplan for EK town centre which includes the creation of around 400 new homes, reducing retail space “to open other opportunities”, creating green and community spaces and improving transport links.
The Ballerup Hall can accommodate up to 300 people in concert style and up to 250 for a catered function.
BCW Wrestling has hired out the venue for 21 years and entertained hundreds of local fans at 86 shows.
With no suitable alternative venue locally, boss Graham McKay told Lanarkshire Live the closure of the Ballerup Hall would spell “the end of wrestling in East Kilbride”.
He said: “This is the first I’ve heard of this. I hadn’t been told anything about the hall being up for sale. I’m devastated not knowing if the upcoming BCW show on December 7 will be my last event in the town.
“This would be the end of wrestling in East Kilbride after doing 21 years and 86 shows in the venue. I’m a bit annoyed the council have kept me in the dark about it.”
The council has given the green light for a “bold” £62.2m, 10-year masterplan that “will radically transform the shopping and leisure destination into a vibrant, high-quality urban environment”.
East Kilbride shopping centre is currently being sold off by its administrators after plunging into administration just weeks before Christmas 2022.
It followed a series of difficult years for the centre, which has struggled to retain existing, or attract new, businesses to the town.
As part of the redevelopment, the neighbouring Centre West Shopping Centre – the newest part of the centre – will be bulldozed and converted into a housing development, creating up to 400 new homes in the heart of the town.
It is hoped the move will drive an annual footfall of approximately 15 million, returning to pre-pandemic levels. A national supermarket chain and a budget hotel have so far been granted leases.
Commenting on the latest development on the East Kilbride News Facebook page, reader Jim Paton also hit out saying the sale of the Civic Centre was “further erosion of the identity of East Kilbride”. He added: “A town without a civic building – just a branch office of South Lanarkshire Council.”
Maureen Dynes added: “That will leave zero community spaces in East Kilbride to hire.”
Commenting on the town centre masterplan, reader Sean Malley posted: “East Kilbride does not have the infrastructure for another 400 homes in this area.”
Helen Wales wrote: “More housing! What are the chances of realistic investment in healthcare, hospital, GP, social care, police etc? More houses = more people = increased pressure on existing pressurised services.”
Responding to local concerns, Council Leader Joe Fagan highlighted that that the sale of East Kilbride Civic Centre is “not imminent” and revealed his hopes for a new civic centre as part of the masterplan proposal.
Cllr Fagan said: “The EK Civic Centre site is being advertised now but it is important to stress that this does not mean a sale, or for that matter a closure, is imminent. There’s no rush to sell.
“This is all part of the approach to the town centre masterplan, agreed across all the political parties at the council, and our ambition is to co-ordinate a sale that supports the town centre masterplan. The masterplan includes a new civic building that would effectively replace the current Ballerup Hall and Civic Centre with a facility that can rival those in other nearby towns.”
He added: “My strong preference is that an employer or investor acquires the current Civic Centre site and that any capital receipts from a sale can be reinvested back into East Kilbride to help fund a new civic presence within the footprint of a revamped town centre. However, we just do nt know for sure what market interest there will be in the current site until we ask.
“It is important to me that a new civic hub can serve as a base for council jobs, access to local services and also as a venue in the heart of the town, delivering a better service to the town than the current EK Civic Centre does and driving footfall into a new town centre. No decisions should be made in isolation.
“The sale of the Civic Centre site, when it eventually comes, has to work in tandem with the masterplan and our proposals for a new Civic Centre that can be a home for many of the events and activities that take place in the current building plus many more.”
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