Shopping centre plan deferred

A CONTROVERSIAL bid for planning consent to seal off one of the main entrances to Warrington’s multi-million Golden Square shopping centre has been deferred.
The proposal, by the Warrington Retail Partnership Ltd, was put on hold by the borough council’s planning sub-committee to allow members time to inspect the site and also because a representative of the applicants could not get to the meeting because he was stuck in a traffic jam.
Borough planning officers are recommending the plan be refused.
They say if the pedestrian entrance to the shopping centre from Sankey Street, close to Marks and Spencers, was sealed off, it could significantly disrupt pedestrian flows between Sankey Street and Golden Square.
Four objections have also been lodged by town centre businesses.
The applicant wants to close the entrance to make more room for shops.
Three existing shops would be amalgamated and expanded across the entrance.
Objectors say

connectivity between the shopping centre and the rest of the town has

always been a guiding principle of town centre development and the

proposal would go against the whole spirit of that ethos.
Planning

officers say there would be no objection in principle to the

amalgamation of the shop units, nor changes to their elevations.
But

the proposed absorption of the walkway into an enlarged store would be

capable of having a negative impact on pedestrian flows and, as a

result, the quality and attractiveness of that part of the town centre.