MAXONIANS now fear the £200million transformation of Macclesfield town centre will never happen.
The project, designed by Wilson Bowden Developments, includes a new town square, shopping centre and cinema, and was due to be finished by October 2011.
According to the original timescale,work should have been well underway by now, with phase one, including the transformation of Great King Street and Park Lane, due to be completed in August 2009.
But the latest planning application, submitted at the start of the year, has still not been considered by any planning committee.
Cheshire East Council (CEC) last night said the credit crunch had had an impact on timescales and ‘further investment’ was much needed.
A spokesman said new information on the scheme’s future would be released before Christmas.
But Chris Stubbs, partner at Greenham’s Commercial Chartered Surveyors on King Edward Street, believes this confirms Wilson Bowden’s project is doomed.
"The scheme as proposed isn’t going to happen," he said. "They should say that the Wilson Bowden scheme is now totally shelved. Everybody in the town has been saying that for months. Nothing is going to happen for years in the current economic climate."
Jack Hallam, who runs Hallam’s Property Consultants on Churchill Way, believes no construction work can start for "at least five years".
"The climate is wrong. Cheshire East’s hands are tied by the situation."
Colin McCullough, of chartered surveyors Peter Almond and Partners, on Churchside, Macclesfield, said the situation was "chaos" and accused the council of being "arrogant".
"The lack of information is terrible," he said.
The project, was originally due to be finished by October 2011, while the most recent completion date given to the Express was 2014. Town centre councillor Steve Broadhurst admitted: "It sounds crazy as a town centre councillor but I am just as much in the dark as everybody else."
In a statement, a council spokesman added: "Discussions are currently underway with our development partner to bring in much-needed investment. The credit crunch has clearly had an impact on the timescales, as with all other areas across the country, but both the Council and Wilson Bowden Developments remain committed to bringing in new investment and we believe Macclesfield town centre has fantastic potential. Further details will be issued before Christmas. Cheshire East Council remains fully committed to the redevelopment of Macclesfield town centre."
But frustration at the scheme’s progress was widespread among shoppers in Macclesfield town centre yesterday (Tuesday, November 3).
John Mountfort, 58, from Chester Road, Macclesfield, said: "The planners and backers probably realised that it was a non-starter with the current economic climate. And if people want the big shops they are just going to go to Manchester or the Trafford Centre so with the economic climate it probably wasn't worth it. Who knows if it'll happen."
A spokesman for Barratt Developments, which owns Wilson Bowden Developments, said they had no further comment to make.
