An exciting new £3.5 million retail development – including a Waitrose store – in a Worcestershire town has taken a step closer to becoming reality with the beginning of construction work.
Commercial property developer, the Hinton Group, has started phase one of the development, which will transform the former Market Hall site in Bromsgrove town centre, create new jobs and attract further investment.
Hinton Group director Jon Hinton was joined by Councillor Karen May and Councillor Margaret Buxton, of Bromsgrove District Council, and Daren Humphrey of Waitrose, to officially launch the start of work on site.
Contractor PDR Construction has begun the demolition of existing buildings, including George House, which housed the former Blockbuster store. The food store is expected to open for trading in Spring 2017.
Bromsgrove District Council completed the deal to sell the land to the Hinton Group earlier this year. Phase one of the development includes the 9,000 sq ft food store and 86 car parking spaces. The developers will also make improvements to the Spadesbourne Brook, including the water course and water vole habitats, as well as the planting of trees, both on and off site in Sanders Park.
A planning application has been submitted for phase two, which will include a further 14,500 sq ft of retail space.
Hinton Group development director Jon Hinton said: “As we are based in Bromsgrove, this project is very important to us. We are very proud to be playing our part in delivering a key element of the regeneration of our town centre, and we are committed to achieving similar success with the remainder of the site.
“We have been working very hard behind the scenes for a long time to ensure Bromsgrove gets the best result possible on this site. I’m confident that the new Waitrose store will be welcomed by residents and visitors to Bromsgrove and will provide an impressive new facility on this important site.”
Welcoming the beginning of work on the development, Councillor Karen May, whose portfolio covers economic development, said: “After lots of hard work behind the scenes, it is extremely exciting that residents and visitors will now be able to see the development physically taking shape. I’d like to welcome Waitrose to Bromsgrove and look forward to hearing about future opportunities for the town via this development.”
Waitrose development surveyor, Daren Humphrey, said: “We hope local residents will share our excitement after reaching a key milestone in achieving our ambition to open in Bromsgrove and delivering what will be only our fifth store in the county.
“The Market Hall site provides us with a town centre location that we can be confident of trading from for many years to come and we cannot wait to welcome our new customers when we open next spring.”
The new store will create 60 full and part-time jobs. Public access to the store will be from St John’s Street.