THE people of Halesworth are being asked to put forward their ideas at a public exhibition where a master plan to revive a town centre site will be unveiled.

THE people of Halesworth are being asked to put forward their ideas at a public exhibition where a master plan to revive a town centre site will be unveiled.

The “vision for Halesworth” sets out a plan that would see a community centre, shops, offices and housing built in a bid to regenerate the centre of town.

Cambridge Property Group's draft proposals to revive the site on the Thoroughfare and the surrounding area come after landowner Tesco decided against building on the plot, saying it was too small for a store.

The supermarket giant identified a larger site, on Angel Link, which is the focus of a planning application it submitted in May to Waveney District Council to build a store. If Tesco is given a positive decision on the bid, Cambridge Property Group is contracted to take ownership of the Thoroughfare site.

Liz Dent, speaking on behalf of Cambridge Property Group, said regeneration of the site was vital to Halesworth's future, and that representatives had already spoken to the town council, the Blyth Valley Partnership, landowners and other bodies about the plans.

“Overall it has been received positively,” she said. “They realise that because this site has had a supermarket consent hanging over it for so long and they have been unable to do anything with it, it is a way of releasing that area and they see it as a one-off opportunity to get something done.”

She said it was only a first step and that putting together a planning application was a long way off, adding: “This is what we have come up with and we want to see what the public have to say about it.”

The new plans also outline potential development on land owned privately and by Waveney District Council, that would see parts of the town linked with new accesses and open up routes to parks and new public spaces that would be created. The community centre, which could be located on the existing Angel Link car park, could become a new hub for the town centre.

The exhibition will be held in Halesworth Library during normal opening hours from midday on Wednesday, until 5pm on Friday, November 20.

Representatives will be on hand to answer questions on the first and last day and members of the public will be encouraged to make comments.

Tesco's application on the Angel Link site is yet to be considered by Waveney District Council.