23 February 2015
GREEN LIGHT FOR RETAIL PARK SCHEME
Plans to refurbish a retail park in Bedfordshire in a move which will create more than 100 jobs and attract more than £4m of investment have been given the green light.
Central Bedfordshire Council has approved a planning application to refurbish Dunstable's White Lion Retail Park after completing a revised section 106 agreement with park owner Pradera.
The long unoccupied former Staples and Comet stores will be subdivided to allow new retailers to move in, including M&S Simply Food and Next.
Unit one on the retail park will be divided up to provide three new units with additional mezzanine floorspace, one of which will be for Next. The fashion retailer, which was poised to leave the town altogether, will now increase its floorspace by five times, transfer its existing 18-strong workforce from its Quadrant Shopping Centre store and offer 29 additional positions.
M&S Simply Food will move into a refurbished unit five, providing approximately 50 jobs while Brantano and Sports Direct are negotiating to open new stores in the retail park, which would provide 15 and 16 new roles respectively.
Nigel Young, Central Bedfordshire Council's executive member for regeneration, said: "This is a fantastic boost for Dunstable. A refurbished White Lion Retail Park will further enhance the reputation of the town as a great place for shopping, leisure and culture.
"Over the last two years a wide range of regeneration projects and developments has been breathing new life into this traditional market town, improving infrastructure, leisure and social facilities across the board."
Pradera director Barrie Whight added: "We expect the new offering at the park to become increasingly popular with retailers, as the demand from Next and M&S Simply Food demonstrates. We are working closely with the Central Bedfordshire Council and current occupiers of White Lion Retail Park to ensure any changes deliver a variety of benefits in the short and long term, both to retailers and to the wider Dunstable community.
"Pradera is committed to adding value to its retail portfolios and we see a great opportunity to do so in Dunstable, specifically through the refurbishment of a number of units at the park."
Souce: InsiderMediaLimited, 2015
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