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Mar 2022
Victoria Shopping Centre value falls by more than 80% in 10 years
When Harrogate’s Victoria Shopping Centre opened in place of the old Market Hall in 1992 it came at a time of hustle and bustle on the high street.
Two decades later, things are now very different with the rapid emergence of online shopping and the covid pandemic dramatically changing people’s shopping habits for good.
This changing state of the high street has been highlighted by new figures which show the shopping centre is worth less than 20% of what it was valued at a decade ago.
The figures from Harrogate Borough Council – which owns but does not run the shopping centre at Station Square – show its estimated value has fallen from £4.8 million in 2011 to just £925,000 last year.
And the latest evaluation is an even bigger drop from when the building lease was bought by developers for £23 million in 1998 ahead of a revamp of the building, which was initially inspired by the famous Palladian Basilica in Italy.
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The council has this week confirmed it has no plans to sell the shopping centre and also said it believes the building will play a key role on the high street for years to come – especially with the £11 million Station Gateway project, which will get underway this year. It is part of the wider Transforming Cities Fund project.
A council spokesperson said:
The council also said its new destination management plan – which was approved yesterday and aims to boost the value of the district’s visitor economy from £600 million to £835 million by 2030 – will also help drive footfall on the high street.
It said the plan will “position the Harrogate district as a first choice destination for tourism, large-scale events and investment.”
The council added:
In numbers: how the Victoria Shopping Centre’s value has declined
- 2020/21 – £925,000
- 2019/20 – £2,200,000
- 2018/19 – £3,500,000
- 2017/18 – £3,950,000
- 2016/17 – £4,100,000
- 2015/16 – £4,100,000
- 2014/15 – £4,125,000
- 2013/14 – £4,070,000
- 2012/13 – £4,150,000
- 2011/12 – £4,800,000
The company that runs the Victoria Shopping Centre declined to comment.
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