Former Anglia Square boss says site 'should've been knocked down years ago'

Eric Kirk, who ran the site for five years up until 2019, now advises retailers through his firm Your Fresh Eyes.

He is backing the proposals put forward by Weston Homes to build up to 1,100 homes on the 11.5 acre site.

Mr Kirk, who lives in Drayton and worked as an advocate for Magdalen Street businesses, said: "The longer it goes on the less likely anything will happen.

"In an ideal world it would have been knocked down 10 years ago and developed in a meaningful manner."

He explained: "With inflation pushing material prices up and the downgrading of property lending by banks as a safe bet, I wonder can Anglia Square survive and for how long?

"I fear that as the shopping centre and multi-storey car park could be boarded up and left as a monstrous eyesore.

"With a stream of past owners all pinning their hopes on redevelopment, quality maintenance has been ignored for at least half Anglia Squares 50 plus year life, and so the condition of the buildings is extremely poor."

He believed the vision for Anglia Square would be "consigned to history" and left his role because he felt the proposed development would not become a reality.

Mr Kirk said Columbia Threadneedle, which owned the site, has "done all it could" to maintain the safety of the building.

Weston Homes originally put forward plans to redevelop the site in 2018 but the controversial bid was rejected by former secretary of state Robert Jenrick because of the height and massing of buildings.

In April this year, Weston Homes and Columbia Threadneedle put in a new vision to build the new homes ranging from three to eight storeys.

The proposals did not include the 20-storey tower which attracted many objections through the initial plans.

In July, Save Britain's Heritage drew up its own plans which provided a "more sympathetic, contextual and lower-rise development based around streets".

Columbia Threadneedle was contacted for comment.