Plans to give Weston-super-Mare’s Sovereign Centre a £1.7million revamp into a multiuse events space with a rooftop bar have been given the go-ahead.
North Somerset Council bought the shopping centre in 2018 for £21million but the impact of Covid-19 on retail has seen its value plummet to £4million.
Members of the new administration said they regretted the purchase but the investment - described as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to re-energise the town centre - will help to turn its fortunes around.
The public will be asked to help rename the building - but council leader Don Davies has already vetoed “Westy McWestface”.
Speaking at the executive’s meeting on February 11, Councillor Ash Cartman, the exec member for finances, said: “This couldn’t be more timely as we come out of Covid with our high street on its knees.
“We want to move beyond it [the Sovereign Centre] being just a shopping experience to being shopping, working and leisure.”
The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on tourism and retail in Weston but papers for the executive meeting say this is also an opportunity: “The town is well placed to capture the benefits of the accelerated behavioural changes to shopping, working, commuting and travel.”
The council has secured more than £1.7million from the West of England Combined Authority and £65,000 from the Department for Transport to invest in the Sovereign Centre.
The first phase of the project, provisionally named Weston General Stores, will see vacant shops turned into a new workspace for small businesses, and the underused food court converted into a bike hub with food on offer to attract visitors from the seafront.
The rooftop car park - which boasts one of Weston’s best views over the Severn Estuary - could be tested as an events space this summer by installing a temporary canopy to gauge the appetite for it.
It will not be the first time the rooftop car park has been repurposed - last year’s “relax on the roof” event sold out in 10 minutes.
Suggestions for the rooftop include street food outlets, a bar and a venue for live music.
The business case says: “The proposal for the Sovereign Centre recognises the profound longer-term implications for the community, the economy and people’s daily lives.
“Positioned at the heart of Weston, the Sovereign Centre has the potential to increase footfall, and attract visitors from the busy seafront.”
Bought by the previous Conservative administration in 2018, the venue was expected to generate £1million a year to pump into local services but the national decline in retail and the pandemic have taken a toll, with a number of shops closing.
Cllr Mark Canniford, the executive member for the economy, said: “I wouldn’t have bought the Sovereign Centre four years ago. We are where we are. This plan gives us the opportunity to turn the position we’re in around.”
Cllr Robert Payne said Weston’s tourism offer gives it a significant advantage over many other towns but it needs to do more to link the town centre and the seafront. He said the Sovereign Centre is currently unwelcoming from the seafront.
The plans include a new look from the outside.
The executive unanimously voted to approve the business case and engage with the community on the new name for the building.
Cllr Davies said: “I’m not going to accept Westy McWestface. It has to be in keeping with what we’re trying to achieve.”
