A decision on the fate of The Shambles is likely to be delayed
A decision on the fate of The Shambles is likely to be delayed following alarm among traders over council plans for a new food and drink venue.
Independent businesspeople in the 19th century shopping centre and market hall on Stockton High Street said they were heartbroken, devastated and “left in limbo” by the council’s proposals, and felt “the council have just taken the floor from under our feet”. They would have to move out if council plans were approved to “market the Shambles as a food and beverage opportunity”.
Stockton Council said it did not want businesses to close, offered traders a meeting quickly to ask questions and would give advice and help businesses find new homes. But some traders who had spent years building up their businesses said a move would be so unaffordable it could mean the “end of the road”.
The proposals for The Shambles were to be considered – with a raft of other regeneration plans – at a council cabinet meeting. However the Labour-led authority has now reconsidered.
It looks set to delay consideration of the historic shopping centre after the traders spoke of their dismay and their own MP made a call for delay, with scathing criticism from their opponents and politicians from both sides calling for proper, meaningful meetings with affected businesses.
Now, the council’s regeneration lead will recommend giving “tailored business support including exploring relocation options” with all businesses in the Shambles Market Hall before a decision is taken on the future of the building. Councillor Richard Eglington, cabinet member for regeneration and housing, will put this to the cabinet meeting at 5pm on Thursday (July 17) at council headquarters at Dunedin House in Thornaby.
Cllr Eglington said: “We appreciate the uncertainty that the businesses currently based in the Shambles will be feeling at the moment but we want to reassure them that there is plenty of time for us to work constructively together and help them develop plans for the future. I will be recommending to my cabinet colleagues that we do not make a decision about the future of the building at Thursday’s meeting, this can wait until thorough engagement with businesses have taken place.
“Conversations are already under way with each of the six traders and over the coming weeks the council will engage with each of them to develop and agree tailored support including exploring relocation options and developing their business models. We are already looking at relocation options within the town centre including vacant units in Wellington Square and the High Street.
“We want all businesses to grow and thrive in Stockton-on-Tees and that’s why we are committed to supporting all traders through business development, looking for new premises and allowing all traders who wish to, to carry on trading.”
The council says it remains “fully committed to the ambitious regeneration of Stockton town centre” as described in the Central Stockton and North Thornaby blueprint, including repurposing The Shambles as “a historic and much-loved building in the town centre” and an asset which could be “transformed”.
Chris McDonald, Labour MP for Stockton North, wrote today to council leader Councillor Lisa Evans, requesting a “pause and review”. He wrote: “This has become a deeply emotive issue for many local residents and businesses, and rightly so.
“These are businesses who’ve served our town loyally through tough years. Many of them feel anxious about what comes next and, in several cases, unclear on whether they have any real future in the town centre at all. The toll taken on individual businesses owners and their families is significant.”
He said he wanted Stockton’s regeneration to succeed and make the town centre thrive: “But regeneration must be done with, not to, our community. These Shambles traders are part of Stockton’s living history. They help define its character, and they should absolutely have a place in its future.
“I would therefore urge the council to delay Thursday’s vote, allowing time for a proper review of the proposals and meaningful consultation with the businesses affected. We also need to ensure that the business owners are the first to be communicated with and have full clarity of the situation.
“There is a real opportunity here to get this right – to deliver a revitalised and brilliant Stockton that respects our heritage, supports our local entrepreneurs, and brings together tradition and innovation in one exciting future.”
Matt Vickers, Conservative MP for Stockton West, condemned the decision which he described as sudden, shocking and “a shameful betrayal” of hard-working businesses which left them reeling and sparked outrage across the community. He raised the matter in Parliament today (July 15), telling the Commons: “They are devastated, fearful for their futures and fearful for their livelihoods.”
He asked local government minister Jim McMahon: “Does the Secretary of State agree with me that councils should be backing small independent businesses, not making them homeless without alternatives?”
To jeers from his opponents, Mr McMahon replied: “He will know that it’s Labour councils who are leading the charge at a local level, to regenerate local communities, to invest in local businesses. And the evidence is there, supported by the plan for communities, supported by the community right to buy.”
Mr Vickers slammed the minister’s “bizarre” response after the exchange, saying: “Making business owners homeless with zero support is not regeneration. It’s recklessness — and it’s happening under Labour’s watch.
“These are hardworking local businesses — many family-run — that have helped keep our high street alive. To be told out of the blue that they are being thrown out of their premises, with barely a day’s notice of the meeting, is an absolute disgrace. It’s no way to treat people who have invested their time, money and heart into our town centre.”
Mr Vickers called on the council to meet properly with affected businesses and publish a clear, transparent plan for the future of The Shambles putting local people and their businesses first. He said if the businesses had to move “the council should be finding them a new home that’s local, affordable and works for them”.