Merton Council has pledged its commitment to a high quality redevelopment of Mitcham Town Centre.
Councillor Diane Neil Mills, cabinet member for Housing and Regeneration said:
“Merton is committed to the regeneration of Mitcham Town Centre and wants to ensure that it delivers a sustainable town centre in social, economic and physical terms.
“Merton Council has secured funding from the London Development Agency to enable us to open a town centre office, recruit a full time town centre manager, carry out improvements to Fair Green and to support local businesses. We trust that these steps, which will be taken over the course of the next few months, will help us work with the local community to build confidence in Mitcham, whilst the plans for the redevelopment of the town centre are progressed.
“We would like to reiterate that there is strong interest from developers in the project and recognition of our determination to take forward a high quality redevelopment of the town centre. We want to ensure that the development is commercially viable and provides excellent amenities for all sectors, including residents, as well as existing and new businesses.”
Merton Council adopted a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for Mitcham Town Centre in January 2006, following extensive consultation. This sets out guidance for potential developers about Merton’s vision based on local needs. The cabinet voted to review the SPD, in consultation with local stakeholders, to make it a stronger statement about local vision for Mitcham Town Centre and to prevent developers coming forward with proposals that fail to appropriately address the social, economic and physical considerations of the regeneration programme. The review will be completed by Christmas, though the existing document remains in force throughout the review period.
Councillor Diane Neil Mills added:
“During the review we will continue our negotiations with developers, as Merton is very keen to select a preferred developer. However, we are determined to make the right choice and to establish a planning framework that ensures delivery of the best scheme for the local community.”