Skip to content

Shopping centre site still sits empty, £10m later

Martin HeathBuckinghamshire political reporter
News imageCameraman/Geograph A two-storey red brick building occupying the corner of a site. The word "AGORA" is visible towards the top of the sides of the building and over an entrance in the apex of the corner. The building is divided into shop units, including a post office and a beauty salon. There is a paved pavement area separated from a road by black railings.Cameraman/Geograph
The Agora Centre was known locally as "the spaceship" because it looked as though it had just landed in the town

Milton Keynes City Council has spent £10m on redeveloping the site of an old shopping centre, even though no construction work has taken place.

Demolition of the Agora centre in Wolverton began in 2022, with the site due to be turned into flats and shops.

The Labour leader of the council said delays on the project were "a matter of regret".

The leader of the Conservative group said being left with an empty site after spending £10m was "incompetence".

Agora opened in 1979 and offered a rollerskating rink as well as a market, shops and cafes.

Some felt its brutalist red brick facade was out of keeping with the rest of the town.

Eventually, the shops closed and the site was finally cleared in 2023.

It was bought by the developers, TOWN, in 2019 and it was due to be turned into homes and business premises.

News imageGoogle A plot of land behind green fencing occupies the centre of the picture. There are three-storey terrace houses and shops to the left, with cars parked outside. There is a tree to the right and another in the centre, in front of the fencing.Google
The site has remained empty since demolition finished in 2023

But no progress was made, and the council bought the land and arranged for the demolition of the buildings.

The council's cabinet was told on Tuesday that borrowing costs and the price of construction had rapidly increased.

As a result, a plan to include affordable housing had been dropped and a new development framework was being drawn up.

The report to councillors said the authority had invested about £10m in the project, which were costs that would put pressure on council finances if the scheme did not go ahead.

News imageMK Conservatives Shazna Muzammil with long dark hair wearing a black jacket over a multi-coloured jumper, pointing at a notice on the side of green fencing which says "Agora regeneration".MK Conservatives
Shazna Muzammil, the leader of the Conservative group, said spending £10m and having nothing to show for it was "incompetence"

Shazna Muzammil, the leader of the Conservative group, said: "All of this didn't happen by accident. The Labour council decided to spend millions of our residents' tax money and they chose the way this project is being managed.

"Spending £10m and still ending up with an empty site isn't just disappointing – it's incompetence."

News imageMartin Heath/BBC Pete Marland with dark hair and a beard wearing a dark purple jacket with a red Labour badge, a light brown shirt and a dark brown tie. He is sitting in front of a grey wall on which a black-framed picture is hanging.Martin Heath/BBC
The council leader, Pete Marland, says work should finally start this spring

Pete Marland, the leader of the Labour-led council, told the meeting: "It is a matter of regret that it's taken so long, but I do think we should do it properly."

He later added: "I am very pleased that the council, under a Labour administration, are now in the final stages of securing a building contractor for the site at a viable cost.

"The plan is to bring forward a formal decision on the contract and funding in March, with site work hopefully starting in the spring."

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Related stories
Related internet links