‘Market Forces’ will destroy new retail development in Bedlington Town Centre

Since the exposure of the web of deceit surrounding ARCH from Northumberland Tories and the setting aside of £1M in Northumberland County Councils budget to pay future compensation and protect the Tories pinnacle group from litigation, leaves an associated sub-group of Councillors and Council Officers, unprotected and in danger of replacement at the next election either by the electorate or any future administration.

The Tories spin doctors and advisers have decided that they must now try to legitimise the ARCH replacement, Advance Northumberland by bringing in new Directors from the Bedlington Independent group and the Labour Party to share any future blame.

The Tories are aware that their undivided need to support efforts to reopen the AB&T rail line and its subsequent additional phases linking Morpeth Station into this new route along with the creation of a bought in development by Advance Northumberland in Bedlington is a vote winner. That vote winner,  as people see progression towards physical change along the lines route in timely fashion for the 2021 election could quickly come crashing down around the ears of those who are involved with the decisions Advance Northumberland need to make over the next few months. The Tories of course will use the skill they gained in destroying the credibility of the LibDems nationally in the spin they put out when the ball rolls out of their court to lay the blame at Labour and the Bedlington Independents doors.

Labour who also support their Mayor and the reopening of the AB&T Line had decided to future-proof their planned redevelopment of West Bedlington’s shopping experience, not by buying in retailers for the short term as the Tories now have to do, but by re-invigorating the very shopping experience that has been paramount in closing trade in Bedlington through competition for years. Labour decided to expand the number of outlets at the Council owned Manor Walks shopping centre in Cramlington and raise its footfall from 11,000,000 through the doors to 13,000,000 but to get your foot in the door of this amazing cash cow as a retailer seeking this brilliant opportunity, you had to commit to taking a shop on a very very long lease in the new ARCH development at Pipers Place, Bedlington.

Why you may ask?, well the rail line when coupled with the massive build scheme and future employment hub in and around the Port of Blyth at the ARCH now Advance project Energy Central, will allow the commercial market to expand beyond belief the retail experience in Bedlington East surrounding what will be a very busy station on the AB&T line indeed, weakening the position of retailers at Bedlington West a town centre that has had its commercial troubled for 40yrs plus and without retailers locked in will quickly face further downturn.

The Tories in Northumberland still reeling from the fact that their deceit has been exposed both in Court and by Northumbria Police are content to now spend immense amounts of public money to buy in retailers at huge expense to fill their flagship development and of Course blame Labour and the Bedlington Independents when ‘market forces’ expand the competition elsewhere.