Junction One expansion to go ahead but Matalan turned away

OUT-of-town shopping is set to expand further, with a five-unit extension to Junction One Retail and Leisure Park set to be approved.

But an application to allow clothes store Matalan to move to the unit currently occupied by Rugby Superbowl is likely to be refused - ironically because it would harm the town centre.

The manager of the Clock Towers Shopping Centre, which recently lost a legal bid to prevent the rival Elliott's Field Retail Park from expanding, blasted the expansion, saying it would be at a massive detriment to the town.

Tony Spencer said: “This is a massive disappointment for us, it is shooting us in the foot.

“It's just ridiculous there seems to be an open-door policy for out-of-town parks, and it won't be long before the Superbowl gets the same treatment.

“The section around Leicester Road is possibly going to be bigger than the town centre itself.

“Retailers are not going to come into town now, they're going to go to Junction One or Elliott's Field.”

But Coun Heather Timms, the borough council's planning spokeswoman, said it was vitally important for the future of the borough they considered each planning application on its own merits.

Referring to Clock Towers' own expansion plans, which are in doubt after Elliott's Field got the go-ahead last week, she said: "We have a situation now where there is planning approval in place for a major development in the town centre, but with some reports suggesting it may not be deliverable for seven to 10 years.

"Meanwhile we have businesses looking for places to trade now, some of whom are having to move out of existing premises. We must consider ways we can accommodate them for the benefit of our residents in the short to medium term.

"I very much hope the Clock Towers extension will go ahead soon, and look forward to seeing the more detailed proposals when they are ready."

Junction One plans to build five new units, three of which will take on stores that are set to leave Elliott’s Field when it is redeveloped - Carpetright, Pets at Home and Brantano - as it moves towards a more fashion-led range of shops. No names have yet been linked with the other two units.

The application to change the use of the Superbowl's unit and allow Matalan to move in was recommended for refusal on the grounds the clothing store could be accommodated within the town centre, and allowing it to move out-of-town would harm town centre trade.

However, residents' objections that the bowling alley was a vital part of the community were dismissed, as it does not fall under the planning policy definition of a “local service or community facility which forms the hub of a community, that meets the day to day needs of that community/local area”.

A Junction One spokesman told the Observer last November the bowling alley would close due to lack of demand, which had led to it being heavily and ‘unsustainably’ subsidised for the last three years.

It is hoped the new units will be completed by the end of this year.

Buy photos» The unused land at Junction One Retail and Leisure Park, earmarked as the site for five new units. 48.013.038.rug.jm1

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