Kenilworth shopping centre owners "reluctantly" ask community group to remove garden

The owners of Talisman Shopping Centre have reluctantly taken the decision to ask a community group to remove a ‘community garden’ based on legal advice.

Lawyers for Cobalt Estates, the owners of the Talisman Shopping Centre, advised the firm that the planting on the small strip of land owned by the company and which lies between the car park and the mall should be removed.

It was planted by community group Friends of Talisman Square with the owners’ consent and with financial contributions for both the original installation and subsequent maintenance.

Its removal is necessary following recent unsuccessful attempts to list the square as an asset of community value (ACV), which have been repeatedly rejected by Warwick District Council.

Listing the site as an ACV would mean Cobalt Estates would not be able to sell the site to anyone other than Friends of Talisman Square for a maximum of six months, should it wish to sell in the future, and would have implications on the long-term viability of the centre.

After three unsuccessful applications to Warwick District Council to list the site as an ACV in 18 months, lawyers for Cobalt Estates advised the firm to remove the current planting entirely to prevent further speculative and misplaced attempts at a listing.

Cobalt Estates has therefore written to Friends of Talisman Square to ask them to remove the existing installation around the temporary car park.

Hugo Hawkings, chief executive of Discovery Properties, the developers of the Centre, said: “This is really disappointing.

"We, like everyone else, have appreciated the colour that the planting has brought to the centre and, indeed, have financially supported the Friends of Talisman Square to create it.

“Unfortunately, Cobalt Estates has been advised to remove the planting after the applications made the current situation untenable.

“However, in the growing season we will replace it with appropriate landscaping so that the loss of the planting will be mitigated.”