Bedford Borough Council will wait until the end of the year to see if a development partner comes forward for the vacant Debenhams building, despite pressure to sell and cut costs.
Mayor Tom Wootton (Conservative) has rejected calls from an independent councillor to sell the former Debenhams store on Bedford High Street, saying the council is in the middle of a commercial process to find a development partner.
At Wednesday’s Full Council meeting (8 October), cllr Doug McMurdo (Independent, Sharnbrook) challenged the mayor over the future of the building, which has been empty since the department store closed in 2021.
“When will you commit to selling the former Debenhams store in the High Street, that is presently not fully utilised, unlikely to be utilised having listened to cllr Spice at budget scrutiny?” cllr McMurdo asked.
He added that it is costing borough taxpayers circa £450,000 per annum “just to have the building”.
“You could sell it for in the order of about £1.4 million, well under what we paid for it, and you’d be offsetting £450,000 going forward. When will you sell it?”
Read: ‘Empty’ Debenhams costing Bedford taxpayers half a million pounds each year
Mayor Wootton disputed the figures but said the council expects clarity on its next steps by the end of the year. “It is an ongoing process to develop this building,” he said.
“We have been out to consultation with the market, and we have developers online. Whether those developers are good enough… we are in a commercial process and we will find out, I think, towards Christmas.
“But certainly late November, whether we have been successful in finding partners and developers. To even consider selling at the present time would be wrong because we have put time and effort into this process.
“People are now coming in, and I have seen a number of schemes. To say we should sell it now is just plain wrong.”
Economic conditions
The mayor added that changing economic conditions meant the council needed to see what the market would deliver before making a decision.
Cllr McMurdo, however, said the council had already spent £1.8 million acquiring the site and had been holding it for over 18 months without a clear outcome.
“It is reported publicly that you spent our money – £1.8 million. That’s a matter of fact and in the public record,” he said.
“It is also known that £450,000 is the holding cost. I apologise for earlier quoting £1.4 million as the sale value; £1.35 million would have been more accurate.”
“I don’t think this council should be speculating in property. I was delighted by your rescinding of the Lloyds Bank purchase – a very wise decision.
“So I look forward to a very speedy marketing of the Debenhams building because I don’t see a future for it in the short to medium term.”
Read: Council scraps plans to buy former high street bank building
The council bought the Debenhams site in 2023 as part of its town centre regeneration plans. It is part of a wider effort to bring new uses into the High Street area, including the nearby Mayes Yard development.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
