Ulverston supermarket plans unveiled
Last updated at 12:23, Monday, 12 November 2012
NEW plans for a supermarket in Ulverston town centre have been unveiled.
The store, on the site of the old Robinson’s brewery, would be the same size as the planned Sainsbury’s, just off Lightburn Road, and create 110 full-time jobs. Residents attended the exhibition at the Coronation Hall on Friday to view plans for a 20,000 sq ft supermarket, 90 underground parking spaces and two revamped car parks.
George Andrews, of Cherry Tree Avenue, said he was particularly keen on the town centre location. He added: “I think it’s fantastic. Not everybody has got a car and it will be handy for elderly people.”
The plans keep almost all of the buildings that front onto Brewery Street in order to maintain the character of the area. Tony Clowes, director of Positive Location Property, acting on behalf of Robinson’s, said the addition of a turntable, in a goods delivery area off Hart Street, saves space as well as allowing lorries to be silently manoeuvred.
He also said they had showed it was possible to use the site to house a suitably-sized supermarket, despite Sainsbury’s claims it was too small
He added: “It is a hidden gem really. This is what our retail impact assessment showed was the requirement for the town.”
Other features of the proposals include an underground walkway from Brewery Street car park to the store and widening pavements on the roads to make it safer. The plans also include renovating Brewery Street and Buxton Place car parks in a style that is “more appropriate” for a conservation area – using coloured tiles to mark out spaces rather than painted lines. Mike Gibson, planning consultant for Connectivity Associates, said the plans are in accordance with local and national planning policies, which support town centre retail development.
He argued the location of the site makes it more suitable than the Beehive, which is the subject of a planning application from Sainsbury’s.
As part of the plans the Union Inn and Bird in Hand pubs will also be refurbished. The Union Inn would re-open as a pub while the Bird in Hand would be adapted for unspecified retail use. It is unknown which supermarkets have expressed an interest in taking over the site.
A planning application is expected to be submitted later in the month.
First published at 15:33, Sunday, 11 November 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
The new plan is a huge improvement over the previous application. It is sensitive to the location and will be a genuine asset in attracting more visitors to the town. In a contest between this and an out of town Sainsbury, the Robinsons plan definitely wins and at the same time revitalises a run-down area of the town adjacent to the main route in and out of the area.
Have your say
KUS are very quiet on this. When it was first proposed, they were vociferous in their efforts to get it rejected. Now its all gone VERY quiet ... they seem perfunctory at best. Surely not!! ...as most of them live within a stones throw of the Brewery I though they'd be chaining themselves to the railings. Very odd.
Posted by Ulverstonian on 13 November 2012 at 09:03