Members of the public will be able to view plans for a new retail development in Coalville town centre during a public consultation in July.
The design, which will kick start the regeneration of the town, includes some 60,000 square feet of retail space, with a further 3,000 square feet of coffee shops and cafes. There will also be parking for more than 164 vehicles.
The development, on the site of the Ford Garage at Hotel Street/Whitwick Road and the former Hotel Street shops, is being promoted by landowner Motors Coalville Limited and aims to attract major High Street names to the town – providing a major boost to Coalville’s local economy.
Mark Dalby, Managing Director of Motors Coalville, explained that following the withdrawal of the previous proposal by Tesco for a new store on the site, they decided – alongside development partners Chalfont Land and architects Marchini Curran (Mca) – to progress a scheme to redevelop the area for retail use in a bid to regenerate the centre of the town
He added: “Several options were reviewed for the site but it was decided that the most appropriate and deliverable would be a retail-led scheme, which would offer the size and configuration of shops that could attract new High Street retailers to the centre of Coalville.
“A number of coffee shops are also part of the scheme, which will add to the overall attractiveness of the retail park. This will be supported by an area of landscaped car parking, with access off Whitwick Road.
“The owner’s representatives are very happy to speak to local residents at the public consultation and would very much like to hear everyone’s thoughts on these preliminary proposals.”
A planning application is expected to be submitted in the summer and it is hoped that if the scheme is approved by North West Leicestershire District Council, work could commence next year. The existing operation of Motors Coalville Limited on the site would transfer to another purpose built location.
The public consultation will be held at the cafe at Hermitage FM on July 10-11th to give people the chance to see the impressive designs in detail.
