Plans to make Telford Shopping Centre's car park bigger to attract big retailers

Plans have been put forward for a new access to the Red Oak car park at Telford Shopping Centre, from Lawn Central.

In a planning statement, submitted to officers, it says that the application is being made to make the site more appealing to potential new retailers.

The report says that since the last plans were put forward Telford Trustees, the private company that owns Telford Shopping Centre, parts of Southwater and car parks within the Box Road, have been in talks with a "leading food store operator" as a tenant of the new Northern Quarter.

In the document, submitted as part of the application on January 11, it says: "As such, this has required changes to be made to the Northern Quarter scheme to accommodate the commercial and physical operations of the food store operator.

"These changes include reducing the number of retail units from seven units to five units, an extension of a unit and changes to the Red Oak car park to allow for a segregated car park area comprising 123 spaces for the users of the food store.

"It is intended that the current proposals for the Northern Quarter will both complement and integrate with the wider town centre providing a critical mass of retail floorspace to drive footfall in this part of the town centre, supporting its long term regeneration."

The old Asda store will be demolished to make way for the new Northern Quarter development.

Work on the Northern Quarter building will continue throughout 2016, with completion scheduled for 2017. Demolition of the old Asda petrol station on Red Oak was finished before Christmas.

Guy Beaumont, of Sovereign Centros, which is managing the redevelopment of the centre, said that talks with occupiers for the new Northern Quarter stores were under way while construction took place.

Across the other site of the shopping centre, work is progressing on the new Southern Quarter.

New restaurants on the site of the former Focus DIY store or 'Green Shed' are set to be unveiled next spring, with TGI Fridays, Prezzo and Handmade Burger Company already announced.

The building includes a landmark tower facing Brown Elm Car Park.

The new restaurants will all face on to a crescent-shaped public space with outside seating.

The Southern Quarter is the first part of the extensive redevelopment proposals for the centre, which will add up to 800,000 sq ft more retail and leisure space.

The reserve matters application for the car park access will be decided later this year.