Shopping centre shuts in £500m UK town centre regeneration
Bulldozers are set to move in within weeks
A shopping centre is shutting for the last time before its demolition as part of £500million regeneration plans. Nicholsons Shopping Centre in Maidenhead, Berkshire, is due to be bulldozed in August, with work continuing until spring 2027.
As part of the multi-million pound scheme for the town centre, 55 retail premises and 850 flats are to be built on the site. Will Robinson from the developer, Areli Developments, told the BBC the scheme is about creating "a proper place" where people can live and work.
He added: "There'll be shops, cafés and restaurants, and lots of public spaces."
Known as the Nicholsons, the centre's building dates back to the 1960s when it was built on the site of a brewery which closed in 1960.
Originally open air, a roof was positioned over the 200,000 sq ft retail hub in the 1970s as it continued to develop at the heart of the town centre.
High street stalwarts including H&M, Next and Topshop opened at the centre, which has also been home to Woolworths and Our Price.
The BBC reports that by the end of the last century, the centre was eclipsed by The Oracle Shopping Centre in nearby Reading.
A refurbishment of the centre got underway in 2016 in a bid to improve its appeal ahead of Crossrail's arrival in the town.
Backers of the regeneration say the project represents a major investment in the future of the town and will create a "vibrant" retail, leisure and residential destination.
Part of The Nicholsons Quarter scheme includes a public square to be named after Sir Nicholas Winton.
Known as the "British Schindler", Sir Nicholas helped to rescue Jewish refugee children whose families were fleeing Nazi Germany in World War Two.
The town centre regeneration and Nicholsons Quarter are expected to be completed by the end of the decade, according to the BBC.
