PLANNING bosses at Warrington have given the go-ahead to a major new “home and garden” superstore on an out-of-town site – despite warnings that it will pose a significant threat to the viability of the town centre.
Members of the borough council’s development management committee decided the scheme could go ahead after hearing that it would create nearly 100 new jobs.
They decided not to refer the application by store giants Next to the National Planning Casework Unit for them to decide if the plan should be “called in” for decision by the Secretary of State.
The committee was told the development – adjoining the existing Next fashion store on the Gemini Retail Park – would be only the second of its kind to be carried out by Next in the country.
If the scheme was rejected, it was likely it would be moved to some other part of the country – probably in the South.
The scheme involves changing the use of a warehouse on Europa Boulevard, adjacent to the existing Next fashion store.
The two buildings are already linked and the aim would be maintain the link with a new single level conservatory to provide a garden centre-type outlet, also selling bulky items such as furniture.
Planning officers said the size of the development could have a serious detrimental impact on retailing within the town centre. However, they still recommended approval because they believed the potential negative impact of the new store will be outweighed by likely benefits, including about 100 jobs.
PLANNING bosses at Warrington have given the go-ahead to a major new
"home and garden" superstore on an out-of-town site - despite warnings
that it will pose a significant threat to the viability of the town
centre.
Go-ahead for store that threatens town
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
6 Comments
Again, you could only read about this in Warrington. Planners here are simply a law unto themselves. This will have a very detrimental effect on our Town Centre which is already under threat and has many empty premises. This will do nothing to help. When the Planners get away with destroying record files, with Councillors afraid to act to take action, they will do anything. Time they were brought to heel!
Don’t think it will have any effect on the town centre. Furniture and gardening stores are in out of town retail developments as it is, not in the town centre.Reason people don’t shop in town centres is largely due to the hassle of parking. Reason the likes of Cheshire Oaks is booming is that it has loads of free parking, and of course a large range of shops offering a range of quality products at keen prices.
Well it seems to make sense to me. Next is already there, the warehouse adjoining it is empty and they want to expand. Parking outside.. no real problem. In contrast I can’t actually think of one empty shop in Warrington Town centre which would be suitable to house a garden centre-type outlet, or sell bulky items such as furniture from. Where on earth would customers park or would they have had to carry their bulky items from Bridge Street etc to the nearest multi storey car park ? I think the Development Committee would have got a lot more ‘stick’ if they had actually refused it or had it called in 😉
It is a no brainer, better where it is going than not at all. The town centre is a lost cause.
I think they were probably trying to shift the old MFI site – but Next will not have been interested in that one, it just doesn’t make any kind of business sense for them. It would make great additional parking for Bank Quay station though.
The possibility of 100 new jobs from this out of town scheme will be very welcome to those that get them. However, the promise of jobs for 100 people must be set against the loss of several hundred real jobs which occurred whilst Warrington was becoming “one of the 10 worst towns in the country for empty town centre shops” (WW 9/10/2011). If our planners do not make that consideration they are more blinkered than they have led us to believe. They acknowledge there are “already a large number of out-of-centre shops competing directly with the town centre” and are concerned if the trend continues, because it will “have a cumulative impact on the town centre..” affecting the viability of key corporate schemes, and setting precedents for others which might undermine national policy aimed at restoring the viability of town centres. The question is what are the planners doing to restore the viability of our town centre and remove the ghost town status? In a word, nothing, if they conclude “the potential negative impact of the new store will be outweighed by likely benefits, including about 100 jobs.” If we don’t watch it another precedent will be cast in stone, to be manipulated as only planners can, to get what they want and we don’t. Why don’t the planners link schemes like this one by placing an obligation on the developer to develop in the town centre as well?