‘We need to grasp this opportunity for town’
Rushden, Richard Gell with his collection of articles about Skew Bridge site dating back to 1986 re the Rushden Lakes Monday, 07 November 2011
The leader of East Northamptonshire Council has said he does not want Rushden to miss out on an opportunity to have a new £50m shopping park.
Last week the Evening Telegraph revealed LXB Retail Properties plc plans to create a £50m shopping park on the site of the old dry ski slope at Skew Bridge in Rushden within the next two years.
They believe the park would attract three million visitors a year, create 1,500 new jobs and include more than 20 leading shopping chains, including a large Marks & Spencer, a garden centre, hotel, leisure centre, a lake marina, visitor centre, restaurants and 1,300 parking spaces
The developers have been in talks with East Northamptonshire Council about their proposals and its leader Cllr Steven North said he did not want Rushden to miss out on the opportunity.
He said: “There has been a lack of retail investment in the Rushden area for a long time.
“There will probably be some objections from traders in the town centre but the reality is the retailers interested in Skew Bridge are not going to come to Rushden High Street because there is not the amount of floor space there that they want.
“The old days of people spending all day going along High Streets into each shop are over and they are not going to return, however much planners try to force that scenario.
“So let’s get a reality check and stop people going out of Rushden and shopping in Milton Keynes.
“We don’t want to miss out on this opportunity and see this development go elsewhere.”
He said he hoped the development would attract more visitors to Rushden who would also be drawn to the town centre’s independent shops and “excellent” free parking.
Other councillors have also said they are more hopeful these plans for the site will be successful where others have failed.
Higham Ferrers councillor Richard Gell has kept a watchful eye on a range of plans for the site over the years and has a collection of newspaper cuttings about proposals for the area dating back to 1986.
He said: “I’ve always treated the plans for the site quite sceptically. It’s always been the case that the plans would not go ahead unless businesses indicated they wanted to move to the site.
“I’m more hopeful about this scheme. I was impressed by the presentation we had from the developers.
“The fact they had spoken to the highways authorities about the works that would be needed to be done to the roads and have been in talk with traders at this stage seems positive.
“There seems to be a strong interest in the site from Marks & Spencer and I don’t think they would have had their name drawn into the public domain unless they had been talking about a serious commitment.”
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Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
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Matt Thompson
Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 12:11 PM'There has been a lack of retail investment in the Rushden area for a long time.' Sorry but if shoppers want to go all the way to skew bridge they might as well go to Wellingborugh. This should be a sport and leisure park - to benefit EVERYONE. Stanwick lakes and Ferrers pits will be devastated by a shopping centre. The urban sprawl of Rushden and Higham that has gone on for the last few years has to stop now. We have taken our fair share of expansion and the line has to be drawn at the A45 and A6, or else where will it stop? All this desire to develop without thinking of the long term consequences has to stop. We are proud that we have such close accessability to the natural environment and it must be kept that way. We dont want to eventually join up with Wellingborough as a mass conurbation.
KEVJS
Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 01:03 PMThe people of Rushden wouldn't pay the high prices charged by Peter Crisp, I can't see M&S benefiting.
Bonsaiman
Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 08:51 PMThis will be good news for the area.
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