Fears of March losing 'soul' despite £8.4m improvements
The former Barclays bank is being demolished as part of the scheme
People in March have told us they're not convinced a multi-million pound scheme to regenerate the town centre is paying off.
Fenland Council (FDC) is knocking down the former Barclays Bank in Broad Street, which marks the final stage of an £8.4 million scheme to improve the town centre.
"Maybe encouraging other small businesses to build up their business in the town, because we've got a lot of chain shops now and it lacks the same sort of spirit and soul the town had before," Nick Lambert, who works in the town, said.
The former bank was purchased by FDC for £750,000, paying an extra £371,000 for it to be demolished and could now be selling the site for £295,000.
It means the council is set to make a loss of £826,000 on the building.
Bank demolition 'never about profit'
But Councillor Chris Seaton, lead member of the March Future High Streets steering group on FDC, has defended the plans.
“The development of this site is not a commercial investment, and it was never about generating a profit or income for the Council," he said.
"It is a regeneration intervention, fully funded by the Government, designed to address what residents had called an “eyesore” of a building and to unlock a key town centre site where the market had previously failed."
While the regeneration was taking place, another business in the town shared its concerns around how the project will impact the local economy.
Rob Skoulding, former mayor of March, has also laid out his fears once the project is done.
Market revival could boost town centre - business
Nigel Lambert helps run Greetings card shop, which looks out towards the former bank site, and has some ideas of how to improve the town centre.
"There's loads of things we could investigate; the market could do with some advertising, getting more market stalls onto it," he said.
"It's really beautiful on one side of the river and if you're walking down there, you'll think you're in Cornwall."
Cllr Seaton said if work on the former Barclays site was not part of the wider town centre scheme, "it would be easy to draw the wrong conclusions.
"Regeneration is about the bigger picture – improving confidence in a site and putting them in a position where investment can finally happen.”
But for Nick, it may take a while until the improvements pay off.
"Loads of high street shops are really struggling, we've had Covid and this development is not going to help for a very long time," he added.
"When I see people trying to say business is booming in the town; it simply isn't the case, not from my perspective."