Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of Basildon Council, confirmed demolition is set to begin at the town centre site and residents will see “cranes in the sky” within the next financial year.
Major – The proposed arena would be a stop for national tours and events (Image: Newsquest) Basildon Council bought the Westgate Shopping Centre, off Fodderwick, for £18.5 million after at the start of July last year, announcing revived plans for a huge new live entertainment arena at the site.
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“Over the coming year, we will be working on the Westgate masterplan with the first phase of that going to planning in May, which is very exciting,” the leader said ahead of the release of the council’s 2025/26 draft budget last night.
“By Christmas, planning will be underway for the arena.”
By January next year, all of the Westgate site, excluding the area currently housing the Dreams bed store, would have gone through planning and and be available for residents to review, the council leader added.
“Within this financial year, you will see the first phase of demolition of the Westgate and you will be seeing cranes in the sky,” Mr Callaghan continued.
“The cranes will be a signal that regeneration is happening across the borough. There have been a lot of false starts in Basildon but I believe that this time were are promoting the confidence to the investment community that will make this work.
Unloved- Some units at current Westgate Shopping Centre have been empty for years (Image: George Pizani) Speaking to the Echo previously, the leader said the “Essex Arena” would serve as a regional stop for major tours, performers and sporting events.
In October, it was reported that an unnamed company was “very interested in building” Basildon Council’s proposed arena.
In addition to focusing on plans for the development of the Westgate Shopping Centre, Mr Callaghan said the 2025/26 draft budget also protected the council’s other leisure assets, including leisure and day centres such as Basildon Sporting Vilalge.
He said: “Those assets have been red lined so that they are protected for at least another year and can continue to be enjoyed by residents.”