Brockwell Shopping Centre in Cramlington under pressure over 'almighty hole' as part of new cafe project

Cllr Wayne Daley described the fenced off excavation at Brockwell Shopping Centre in Cramlington as an “eyesore.” A representative for the company that owns the centre explained that the hole was dug as part of plans to build a new café on the site.

Planning permission was obtained for the development in 2020 but work was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite this, Cllr Daley felt that the time the land had been dug up and left was unacceptable.

He said: “Since September there has been an almighty hole at the second biggest shopping area in Cramlington. I have been told constantly it is being sorted but it is exactly the same.

“All I want them to do is fill the hole in and remove the metal barriers. It is an absolute eyesore and leaving it like this is a slap in the face to residents.

"Many residents contact me asking what on earth is going on.

“At the moment what we are left with is a great big hole. It is an unacceptable amount of time.”

The site’s manager and former Cramlington town councillor Panos Papaioannou explained the situation from the point of view of the owner, Blair Estates.

He said: “Brockwell is the cleanest shopping centre in Cramlington. The other shopping centres in the town are nothing like the Brockwell, it is nice and clean.

“The owner has planning permission to build an ice cream parlour on the square. Mining surveys are being carried out and to do a survey takes time.

“I do not see anything wrong. There is going to be a unit there, we have planning permission. I have been trying for 20 years to get something for the young people of Cramlington.

“Every building looks untidy until it is finished. We are waiting for a company to do a mining survey. To fill the hole back in would cost a lot of money.”

The centre currently includes a Home Bargains, a Tesco, a health centre, a pharmacy, and more.