Revised plans for Leamington shopping centre revealed

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New plans for a £90 million shopping scheme in Leamington town centre will be submitted today (Wednesday).



We revealed in the Courier last week that developer Wilson Bowden - which has worked with Warwick District Council on the project since 2007 - had reached an advanced stage with the project.

This week it said revised designs for the 21,500sqm Clarendon Arcade shopping centre include 35 to 40 shops, a 512-space car park and could create 700 to 750 jobs.

Planning director David Ward says it is in “advanced” negotiations with an unnamed tenant for the shopping centre’s ‘anchor’ store.

Mr Ward added the new plans, designed by Royals Priors shopping centre architects Chapman Taylor, take into account concerns over traffic and aesthetics.

Mr Ward said: “We’ve come up with a scheme that genuinely meets the needs of the town, both in terms of its historic importance and the retail vitality and viability that are critical to make this work.”

The council’s economic development and regeneration manager Joe Baconnet said Leamington needed flexible, modern new shops to keep pace with rivals Solihull and Stratford.

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No support evident as second shopping centre consultation closes

REVISED plans for a £250 million shopping centre in Leamington town centre have failed to win over detractors as the day a decision is made draws closer.

Developer Wilson Bowden submitted new designs for the proposed Clarendon Arcade on the site of the current Chandos Street car park in July, more than a year after its first plans were drawn up.

The firm was chosen by Warwick District Council to create the new centre after consultants identified a need for more shops so Leamington could compete with Solihull.

But opposition has not flagged, even after Wilson Bowden said it had answered questions about traffic and aesthetics.

When consultation ended on September 9 more than 70 objections had been received, with no letters of support.

Anne Piper of Portway Close warned it was “wishful thinking” to try to attract new multinationals, and called for the developer to “come clean” about which stores had actually agreed to come to Leamington.

She warned that online shopping was due to make up half of spending by 2020, and argued the future lay with small, exclusive shops.

Conservation group the Leamington Society restated its objections, citing the economy and household debt as reasons the arcade might be a “white elephant”.

Its chairman Richard Ashworth said: “The scheme stretches upwards, outwards and into every nook and possible cranny, and is a gross overdevelopment relative to most neighbouring buildings.”

Warwick and Leamington Green Party, the only political party to oppose the scheme, drew attention to the Institute of Environmental Management’s environmental statement, which warned the increase in the effect more parking spaces would have on the town’s long-term sustainability and CO2 emissions.

The party also drew attention to a survey in which 52 per cent of visitors said ‘nothing’ would make them shop in Leamington more often, while only 13 per cent cited better shops and 40 per cent said they did not want changes.

Despite both Wilson Bowden and the district council’s claims that chains wanted large new premises, many objectors pointed to the number of empty shops in Leamington.

Leamington Town Council supports the idea of the development, but objected on the grounds of its size and effect on the conservation area, calling for underground parking to reduce its impact.

Many decried the movement of shops to the top of the Parade, warning that shops like Marks and Spencer would leave gaps if they relocated.

No date has been set for the district council’s planning committee to debate the plans, but it is expected to take place on October 18.

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Shopping arcade plans discussed at FSB event



Small business owners have learned more about the new proposals to build a £90 million shopping centre in Leamington town centre at a meeting this week.

Developers Wilson Bowden and officers from Warwick District Council, who are both behind the Clarendon Arcade project, presented the proposals at the event at the Star and Garter pub in Leamington on Thursday.

The meeting had been organised by the Warwick and Leamington branch of the Federation of Small Businesses.

Philip Clarke, senior projects co-ordinator for Warwick District Council, said: “This was part of our programme to engage with some of the main stakeholder groups which also include BID and the Chamber of Trade.

“We speak about why the Chandos Street site is suitable, why Leamington is suitable and why we want the project to go forward now.

“We thought the public consultation could start this month but that was probably over ambitious but once that does take place things could then progress to a planning application.”

The new plans are for a shopping centre similar in size to the Royal Priors and could include restaurants and leisure facilities.

An independent report commissioned by the council has highlighted a need for a new shopping centre the size of the Clarendon Arcade to draw shoppers back into Leamington.

But in response to the Grimsey Review into ways Britain’s high streets can be improved, Civic Voice chairman Paula Ridley said that more retail may not be the solution.

She said: “The majority of high streets have changed forever and we will not be able to reinvent them as they once were.”

“As a nation we have become obsessed with retail yet we have to accept that retail has changed and needs less high street space.

“Given these far-reaching changes, communities need to ask themselves hard questions about what they want from their local high street and work together to achieve that vision.”