Don't leave former Wolverhampton Sainsbury's building abandoned, say councillors
Concerns have been raised that a former city centre supermarket could become 'another abandoned Wolverhampton building' after it emerged the firm had received no offers since it went on the market.
The old Sainsbury's store at St George's Parade closed in July when the supermarket giant moved operations to its new £60m store in Raglan Street.
The property had been put on the market in 2013, well in advance of the move, but despite early interest, the firm marketing the site says there have been 'no concrete offers'.
The news has sparked fears that the building could be left to fall into wrack and ruin like some other prominent sites in the city.
It comes after Tesco announced this week it had scrapped long-existing plans to build a 97,000 sq ft supermarket at the old Royal Hospital site in All Saints, which has been out of use since 1997.
The former Charles Clarke showroom in Chapel Ash stood derelict for 15 years before developers moved in at the end of last year, while the nearby Eye Infirmary has been boarded up since 2007.
Councillor Zahid Shah, who represents St Peter's ward, said the lack of any firm offers for the St George's Parade site was evidence that businesses were wary of investing in the city.
He said: "We have got hardly any major companies coming into the city centre, mainly because they are concerned about their prospects of making a go of things in Wolverhampton.
"They are going to Merry Hill, Birmingham and Bentley Bridge, but there is a real danger that the city itself could start to resemble a ghost town.
"The last thing we need here is another abandoned Wolverhampton building. The council needs to be more aggressive in attracting companies into the city."
The site is being touted by Colliers International, who put the leasehold on the market for £1.2m, although Manchester based owners Spectrum Investment Management is understood to be willing to sell for the right price.
Tom Glynn, assistant director of retail for Colliers, said: "This is a sizeable building and as such it is a significant venture to take on.
"We have had interest from the moment the site went on the market, but as yet there have been no concrete offers.
"We are still exploring a number of avenues and hope that something will happen in the near future."
Since Sainsbury's moved out of the site, a number of council workers have been stationed in offices there on a temporary basis.
David Mills, spokesman for Sainsbury's, said: "We are continuing to market the site and are in discussions with a number of interested parties."
