KEYNOTE retail and business sites in Grays High Street including Lloyds Bank, Barclays and Greggs bakery could be bought by Thurrock Council - and demolished as parts of its plans to regenerate the town centre.

In total the council plans to spend £6,876,725 buying up land and buildings in the High Street and surrounding areas according to a report which details the authority's future plans for the area as it bids to find more investment in the town.

As well as shops and banks, the council wants to buy up the former Post Office on George Street which is currently operated as a business centre by Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services and plays host to 22 small businesses. The council owns the premises but is budgeting £225,250 for 'acquisition costs'.

The report has been created by consultants Steer, an international planning group and it was completed in July last year at a cost believed to be in excess of £235,000. In addition Steer has been paid more than £83,000 by the council in the past year.

The report produced by Steer damns and disparages the current High Street, describing it as 'unattractive and of poor quality which suffers from street clutter with furniture in a state of disrepair'.

The full and detailed report, which includes plans to demolish part of the council's civic offices on New Road and build can be found via this link

The council's plans are part of but also and addition to improvements in the area that are set to be financed by the recently confirmed Towns Fund award of £19.9 million from the government for schemes to revitalise towns. Tilbury was also awarded cash and plans are being drawn up how to spend the £22.8 million it has been allocated.

In Grays the towns fund money has been delivered for projects including improving the station area and creating a brand new riverfront destination possibly including a maritime activity centre and jetty.

The business case for the High Street scheme projects further expenditure of £24,998,050 to complete the project – in addition to what has already been spent. It is hoping to source much of that through more government grants and other investment.

The report says: "The Future High Street Fund scheme elements will be delivered as part of a wider package of works with the Grays underpass scheme, funded through SELEP and local authority investment, and are integral to the overall strategy to transform the town centre through a public-private sector partnership approach.

"The scheme complements planned Towns Fund investment and will provide a catalyst for major investment in the redevelopment and repurposing of Grays Shopping Centre."

The chair of the Grays Town Board is the Director of Development at NewRiver Real Estate Investment Trust (which bought the shopping centre for £20.2m in June 2018 when it was suggested it could be redeveloped to create around 1,000 homes), Justin Thomas, said: "The projects proposed have the ability to accelerate the transformation that is already happening in Grays, creating lasting social and economic impact for its residents, businesses and visitors for generations to come."

The future involvement of NewRiver in the town's development is unclear as in October last year it announced the shopping centre was up for sale. The report delivered by Steer says New River's detailed proposals for the shopping centre are 'currently under development'.

The council is also planning another major muli-million pound project in the town centre, to create an underpass at the current crossing.

A core part of the council's plans for the High Street is to bring people in to live on it in 207 new homes. The business case signed off by the council's outgoing Director of Place Andy Millard – the latest of a number of senior directors and projects officers in the council who have moved on – "outlines a set of complementary and mutually reinforcing schemes for Grays High Street to repurpose existing commercial/retail to provide 207 additional housing units and implement digital infrastructure in the town centre."

The report also details plans by the council to knock down part of its own offices – adjacent to the new multi-million pound extension currently being built .

The council hopes to secure planning permission for the demolition and new build by February next year with demolition in 2023 and the new homes available for sale by November 2024.

It is proposed to create 82 apartments on the site of the offices, which the council currently values at £3,970,000. In the report the council is forecasting a shortfall of more than £7 million in the funding of the demolition and rebuild project.

That may bring some questions about the assurance the council has given that the cost of the new extension it is building, which it projected would cost no more than £10 million, will be paid for out of the profits of the apartments' sale!

What the report says about Grays town centre

Overall, Grays is considered to a viable centre, but there a signs that it is a risk of becoming more exposed to the structural trends that are affecting centres across the UK.

Key messages are:

• The centre is geared toward meeting local shopping needs, with an emphasis on convenience and service uses. The centre cannot compete with larger comparison led centres, such as nearby Lakeside and a contraction in comparison floor space is evident.
• The centre is dominated by discount retailers, with there being six charity stores and almost three times the UK average number of frozen food convenience stores, both of which reflect the challenges the centre faces.
• The range of independent traders helps to create a more diverse retail offer (although while in some cases their offer is good, in others it is not).
• There has been an increase in the number of vacant premises in the town.
• Vacancy levels are typical for a UK town centre, though rates have remained persistently high at around 9%- 10%. This vacancy rate is above fictional levels which are typically around 4%. Vacant units detract from the ambience of the centre.
• Available data shows a decline in footfall levels.
• There are some units that have been vacant for a considerable number of years.
• The centre's trade is supported by other public sector activities, though these are located south of the railway line and access is inhibited by the rail line.
• There is a weak restaurant and café offering: with most of the offer aimed at fast food.
• The public realm is quite poor
• The core retail / High Street area too is outmoded, suffering from patches of repairs.
• There has been no new retail development taking place in Grays since 2014.