Wychavon District Council announce vision for Evesham's future

The proposal is one of many unveiled by Wychavon District Council, with the aim of making Evesham a leisure destination making the most of its River Avon setting within the next 20 to 30 years.

The potential plans also include the creation of a new arts centre, the redevelopment of several car parks, a focus on making the high street more pedestrian-friendly, and enhancing the riverside.

Councillor Bradley Thomas, leader of Wychavon District Council, said: “Our town centres have been under pressure for some time and the prospectuses represent a positive vision for the future of each of them.

“This isn’t about what Wychavon wants to see happen but rather a shared ambition based on what we have been told by various stakeholders.”

Wychavon District Council has unveiled ambitious plans to transform several areas in and around Evesham town centre

Wychavon has said Droitwich, Evesham, and Pershore are all facing “a perfect storm of issues”, including the aftershock of the pandemic, a permanent increase in home and flexible working, and a spike in online shopping.

Investment prospectuses have been drawn up by the council and consultants CBRE, offering a vision of what the future has in store.

Each prospectus outlines ‘Game Changer’ sites, areas that the council say have the “potential to bring about change”.

In Evesham, this includes a major redevelopment of Riverside Shopping Centre which would see the creation of up to 70 homes while still providing space for shops, cafes and other leisure activities.

Such a development would require businesses currently in the shopping centre to temporarily relocate and the council has said it does not anticipate any having to permanently close.

Wychavon also believes such a development would open up views of the river and Abbey Park, “reconnecting the jewels of the town’s rich heritage assets with the high street”.

The prospectus also states an upgrade for Bridge Street and the Public Hall will be brought back into use as a new arts centre, with Wychavon working with the owners of Riverside Shopping Centre, Chase Commercial Ltd, on this joint venture.

Meanwhile, the former Aldi and the Oat Street, Chapel Street and Cowl Street car parks will all be redeveloped into the “Chapel Quarter”.

Another proposal mentioned in the prospectus is the introduction of active travel links and traffic calming measures on the high street, to make it more pedestrian-friendly.

Meanwhile, tree-planting, the installation of rain gardens, and new seating areas on the high street would all work to make the environment more inviting.

The final proposal regards the riverside parklands, with aims of expanding on the current events programme of Crown Meadow as well as turning the Christmas tree farm into an active community space with natural and wild play areas, allotments, orchards, and walking trails.

The plans include a focus on promoting the riverside and parklands, with an aim of expanding on the town's current events programme

Councillor Thomas explained the prospectus merely offers an interpretation of what is possible but is by no means “set in stone”.

He added: “Wychavon isn’t in charge of all of the Game Changer sites, so to make this vision a reality there needs to be a real drive from the public and private sector, and our communities, to make this happen. The prospectuses will be a powerful tool to attract investment from Government and the private sector into our towns.

“We can’t go back to how we did things before the Covid-19 pandemic. The future for our town centres is limited if we do that. But by thinking differently about our places, reimagining what’s possible, being bold and working together they have a bright future. Today is the start of that journey.”

The next step will involve the council speaking with landowners and investors to gauge interest in potential developments while progressing on the sites they do own, such as Evesham Public Hall.