Decision-makers to set out plans for Whitehaven town centre at meeting

Josh MacAlister, the Labour parliamentary candidate for Whitehaven and Workington, has organised a public meeting, alongside Emma Williamson, deputy leader of Cumberland Council.

Mr MacAlister says he wants to see everybody work together to ensure the future of the town, which he has described as ‘on its knees’.

A number of businesses have left King Street – the town’s main shopping street - in recent years and many of the buildings now stand empty.

Derelict shops on King Street in Whitehaven town centre (Image: Newsquest)

This includes a number of banks with the TSB set to close in September, and Halifax, NatWest, HSBC and Barclays branches already leaving the town centre.

Mr MacAlister said: “Whitehaven is a brilliant town with so much potential but it’s on its knees right now. I don’t accept that this is inevitable and we can see examples of seaside towns across the country - like Whitby - which are thriving.

“I want to see a bold and ambitious masterplan laying out an exciting future for the town, but we need everybody working together and pulling in the same direction to make it happen.

“The aim of this meeting is to put a rocket behind efforts to get this plan moving. All of the town’s stakeholders will be in one room - councillors, business representatives, land owners, public services - with residents having the chance to put questions and raise ideas about what they’d like to see change.

“I’d urge any resident with an interest in Whitehaven to come along and join the discussion.”

Cllr Williamson said: "I'm really interested to hear the thoughts of our residents and to talk about some of our plans going forward, looking at the town centre regeneration.

"This is a partnership approach - we can't do this without our residents, partners and stakeholders. 

"It's about pulling together a priority plan for the town centre."

Cllr Williamson said her four priority areas were King Street, the Civic Quarter, the harbour and the gateway into the town. 

She added: "We are absolutely committed to regenerating Whitehaven as a key priority. It's going to need significant investment."

Michael Pemberton, chief executive of BEC, said he supported Mr MacAlister in his ambition for change.

Mr Pemberton said: “BEC’s dedication to driving positive change in the town centre is unwavering.

"BEC has been at the forefront of significant regeneration efforts in Whitehaven, and I remain fully committed to our vision and pledges for the area.

"Real change is achieved through strong partnerships, ownership, and the courage to make bold decisions. Whitehaven is a town with real potential."

Andrew Johnson, the Conservative candidate for Whitehaven and Workington said: “Labour is talking of a ‘masterplan’ to transform Whitehaven town centre, yet they have not put on record their support for West Cumbria’s new coking coal mine. In fact, there are claims that they would scrap the project altogether were they to get into power. 

"The mine would create hundreds of highly skilled jobs, boosting our local economy massively, but the picture we see whenever Labour is in power at any level is the same, opposition to Conservative government investment.

“Thanks to the plan under Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives inflation is back to normal, with the economy growing joint fastest in the G7, with wages rising and taxes cut. This is great news, nationally and locally, so we cannot let Labour take us back to square one.”

Residents are invited to join the public meeting at Whitehaven Civic Hall on Thursday, May 23, between 7pm and 9pm.

All Whitehaven residents and business owners are welcome to attend but registration is essential.

Go to: https://joshforwestcumbria.co.uk/whitehaven-meeting/