SOUTHEND’S councillors must look at “all options” over the future of the city’s Victoria Shopping Centre to avoid it becoming a “white elephant dragging us down”.

Dan Nelson, Tory councillor responsible for economic growth, outlined his vision for the shopping centre, bought by the council for £10million in 2020.

Mr Nelson has in the past made no secret of the fact the centre is making a £500,000 a year loss for the council but it has been hinted there is interest in the old Wilko store in the centre.

Grilled on the extent of his support for the centre at a Southend Council place scrutiny meeting, Mr Nelson said he did not currently see it as a strong financial asset.

He said: “Personally I would like to see the centre thrive and to keep it if possible but we must remember the financial situation this council faces. We mustn’t have a white elephant hanging round our neck dragging us down. If the Victoria shopping centre is proving to be that we must look at all options to resolve that.”

It has been previously suggested the civic offices could move into the centre, leaving the current Civic Centre in Victoria Avenue to be sold off.

Following the meeting, Mr Nelson said: “The issue is the Victoria shopping centre sits in vision limbo.

“The council needs to decide what it wants to do with it.

“It did a survey to potentially move the council offices into it but we have to remember if we move our council offices into it we are stuck with it and it doesn’t bring any further income.

“One potential option would be to...split up big units to smaller units and bring in more smaller businesses into the centre to make up that loss of revenue.

“If the finances work, and that basically means making up £500,000, we’ll keep it and continue with it. Ultimately selling it now would cost the council money because it’s worth less than we purchased it for.”

The centre, which hosts an NHS blood test facility, could be a potential site for a new diagnostic centre Martin Terry, Independent Thorpe councillor, hinted an occupier may have been found for the Wilko store, adding: “There’s other public services want to get in there. I can’t say too much because it’s commercially sensitive. It’s really important that the council has a footprint in the High Street where we need to influence and get growth particularly those small businesses.”