FIFTY years ago this month, Churchill Square was the first purpose-built pedestrianised shopping centre in Brighton when it was officially opened by Mayor Jim Taylor.

Although some shops opened early, there was still excitement as shoppers wondered what lay behind the fences hiding the new centre from Western Road.

There had been talk of a beautifully designed shopping mall cascading down to the sea. But to many people Churchill Square was a sad disappointment. True there were 70 shops including some of the biggest high street names such as Sainsbury’s, British Home Stores, WH Smith and Barclays Bank.

But there was no sea view from the back of the square which was grotty and grimy. Churchill Square was one of the last shopping centres to have open air walkways.

When the Arndale Centre opened in Eastbourne shortly afterwards, it scored by being indoors.

Churchill Square was typified by a sculpture called the Spirit of Brighton. It was a notably ugly water feature ignored by most customers and mourned by none when it was demolished.

To make way for Churchill Square, 16 acres of old Brighton were demolished including some charming cottages. There is little doubt that had this area been preserved it would have become a big attraction such as the North Laine district. Instead a series of car parks dominated the view south of the Square and all the character was taken out of this locality with historic pubs and homes destroyed.

The main building was Chartwell Court, a skyscraper which appeared to be almost as tall as Sussex Heights because it was built on higher ground. Few people liked the bland design and plans for a second similar skyscraper were soon quietly abandoned.

When the Brighton Centre was built in 1977, there was much talk of a pedestrian link to the seafront from the Square. It was possible to achieve this by descending into the bowels of Churchill Square and using a bridge to enter the centre, but few tried. Churchill Square was a retail disaster. It began to look tired soon after the opening and many of the big names quickly packed their bags. By its 30th anniversary in 1998, hardly any of the original stores were left.

The whole future of shopping was in doubt by this time as the public flocked to malls built on the edges of towns with plenty of parking. Fortunately for Brighton, the bypass and the South Downs left little room for such development and the only mall of note was built at Holmbush near Shoreham.

Brighton Council wanted a modern Churchill Square and sold the freehold to developers Standard Life to give them confidence. The new Churchill Square which opened 20 years ago was a bog-Standard Life scheme similar to several other developments in London.

But the developers wisely insisted on using first class materials which meant the arcade has stood up well to being visited by millions of shoppers each year. Another good piece of fortune for Churchill Square was a decision by East Sussex County Council, then in charge of strategic planning and highways, to abandon the Preston Circus relief road.

This link, which would have taken the London Road over the A27 near Preston Circus, also aimed to open up development of derelict land near the railway station. There would have been a transport centre featuring a much-needed bus station and a shopping scheme with a coveted John Lewis department store. All this would have provided stiff competition from the London Road area to Churchill Square and Western Road.

For many years there has been talk of expanding Churchill Square so that it really does cascade down to the sea. But there are several different land owners and it is linked with moving major conferences to Black Rock. There is a new complication facing all shopping centres which is the decline of high street shopping with competition from the internet. Many main shopping areas are looking bedraggled and for some it will be a struggle to survive. But I reckon Churchill Square has a good a chance as any of being able to buck the trend and even expand if the owners are bold.

It is likely that shopping centres will put increased emphasis on entertainment to attract customers. Churchill Square already has a centre for shows and entertainment on the lower floor. It has good connections to existing buildings such as Kingswest. Churchill Square may have been shaky at the start but it shows signs of strength in tackling the biggest retail challenge of all.