Local Conservatives have ‘called in’ Labour’s decision to sell the Wimbledon theatre car park due to our concerns that the sale is not the best option for residents, Councillor Suzanne Grocott (Dundonald ward councillor) writes:
This site has clear strategic value, sitting next door to a listed building and a thriving theatre right in the town centre. However no analysis has ever been done to assess the various other options available to the Council, which include leasing, a joint development venture or directly developing the site themselves. The Council has spent 3 years trying to find the “right buyer” without ever considering what the right option is for residents.
An outright sale will deliver the lowest long term return on the asset. Conservative councillors together with local residents argued that only by maintaining a freehold interest in the land would Merton Council be able to influence the use, bulk and style of a building that will exist for decades to come.
The council is selling off the family silver without really looking at alternative options. The sale is taking place without the promised master plan in place for Wimbledon town centre and without clarity on the final Crossrail 2 proposals. Plus any requirement for community facilities to form part of the development has simply been dropped.
If Labour are serious about exploring regeneration options for Wimbledon, the sale of the car park should at least have been delayed until the master plan is in place and all other options explored.