Application to transform part of Alhambra shopping centre into health hub

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A planning application has been submitted to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to remove a condition on the Alhambra Shopping Centre, which could pave the way for a major transformation of the town centre’s retail hub.

The application seeks to remove condition six from the original planning permission granted in 1988, which restricts certain shop units within the centre to retail use only.

If approved, this could pave the way for BMBC’s ‘Health on the High Street’ (HotHS) initiative, which focuses on introducing health services in vacant units in the Alhambra Centre.

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The proposed removal of condition six would give the council greater flexibility to overhaul the Alhambra Centre, allowing for the introduction of health services, community wellness programmes, and leisure facilities alongside retail offerings.

The new plans for the first floor of the centre aim to create a Health and Wellbeing Hub, a facility designed to improve health outcomes for residents through collaboration between Barnsley Hospital, the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Barnsley Premier Leisure, and other community partners.

The vision for this 11,000-square-metre facility includes outpatient services, public health services, and leisure facilities—all aimed at enhancing the wellbeing of Barnsley residents while supporting the ongoing regeneration of the town centre.

A planning report states that The Alhambra Centre, a two-level shopping complex located on Cheapside, has seen its retail offering significantly decline over the past decade due to changing consumer habits, the rise of online shopping, and the closure of major stores such as Woolworths, T.K. Maxx, and Wilkinson’s. This decline has mirrored a national trend, with vacancy rates in Barnsley’s town centre reaching 17 per cent in 2014, well above the national average.

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Barnsley Council’s acquisition of the Alhambra leasehold in September 2023 enabled the authority to develop a long-term strategy for the centre. The plans aim to consolidate retail uses on the ground floor while revitalising the first floor to make way for the health and wellbeing services that are expected to attract more footfall into the area.

The proposed change to the planning condition would ensure that the Alhambra Centre can adapt to evolving demands and better meet the needs of the local community. It would also help support the broader revitalisation efforts of Barnsley’s town centre, contributing to both its economic growth and its standing as a hub for health and wellbeing.

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