A TOWN has been told to unite behind redevelopment plans if it is to succeed.

Castle Point Council unveiled its Hadleigh regeneration shop in a former hairdressers in the High Street, which will allow residents to give their views on how to improve the town’s shopping area.

The Castle Point Regeneration Partnership is pushing ahead with plans to overhaul the town’s struggling shopping area, but with public sector funds in short supply, the project will rely on private backers. David Marchant, chief executive of council, has called on the public to come together in support.

He said: “In our difficult times, regeneration only works if it’s wanted by the whole community.

“With it, we’ve got far more chance of making this happen.

“A major retailer or developer isn’t going to want to get involved in this process if the town isn’t united.

“If everyone is squabbling they’ll just walk away. I’ve seen it happen before.”

The regeneration shop allows residents to imagine how they want the shopping centre to look.

There is a giant bird’s-eye view of the town on the wall, and shoppers are encouraged to write down their views and attach them to the board.

There is also a miniature model of the town centre, which will be changed over time to show how new ideas might look.

Pedestrianising London Road and making the High Street two-way are among a number of ideas being considered by consultants Urban Practitioners.

The firm is creating a masterplan for the town centre, which is due to be completed in November.

Ideas put forward by residents will be considered and incorporated into the masterplan where appropriate.

Mark Evershed, the council’s regeneration delivery manager, said: “Since we started going through this process we have had a lot of ideas.

“Obviously some ideas won’t work and others will be too expensive.

“Everything will be looked at, but nothing is cast in stone.”

The shop will be open from 10am to 4pm from Wednesday to Friday, and 10am to 2pm on Saturday.