Shopping centre health hub plan moves step closer

Plans for a shopping centre in South Yorkshire to become a health and wellbeing hub could take a step forward if the details of a new scheme are approved.

An application to change the original planning permission which was granted for Barnsley's Alhambra Shopping Centre in 1988 has been submitted to the council.

If approved, it would mean vacant units within the centre would not be limited solely to retail use, as they are now, and could instead host health services, community wellness programmes and leisure facilities.

Barnsley Council bought the leasehold for the centre in 2023, following a multimillion-pound deal to secure its long-term future.

If the plans are approved, including the proposal to change the site's planning permission, the first floor of the two-storey centre would house a wellbeing hub, run in collaboration between Barnsley Hospital, the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Barnsley Premier Leisure and other community partners.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the shopping centre on Cheapside could house outpatient services, public health services and leisure facilities.

A planning report to be considered by councillors stated the centre had seen retail significantly decline over the past decade due to changing consumer habits, the rise of online shopping and the closure of major stores in the town.

When the complex was taken over by the council, the authority's leader, Sir Steve Houghton, said it was time to "redevelop the centre and to make sure it is there for the long term".

A council planners' report said the new scheme aimed to "consolidate retail use" on the precinct's ground floor and "revitalise its first floor" with health and wellbeing services.

The report stated the redevelopment was expected to attract more footfall to the area and support the ongoing regeneration of Barnsley town centre.

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