A new £125 million shopping village less than an hour's drive away from Nottingham could house big brands such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, according to a councillor. The recently approved development in Great Gonerby, on the outskirts of Grantham, has sparked fears that it could take custom away from Grantham town centre.
But Councillor John Dawson said that such out of town schemes attract different clientèle, and the high street could even benefit from the Great Gonerby shopping centre, reports Lincolnshire Live. Speaking at a South Kesteven District Council meeting, Cllr Dawson said: "The likes of Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger won’t come to Grantham town centre, but they could come here. People will drive there and spend money in Grantham as a result.
“It’s estimated that around 10 per cent of the £3.5 million it will generate will come to the high street, but if it’s only one per cent, that would still be fantastic. It will bring jobs and money to the area.”
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Tweaked plans for the shopping centre in Old Great North Road were passed for the third time last month, with the potential for 107 outlet stores and 2,000 parking spaces. There were objections that the scheme from Oldrid & Co would be detrimental for other towns and shopping centres.
Cllr Dawson’s remarks came as the council’s finance, economic development and corporate services scrutiny committee heard updates on Grantham’s Future High Street Fund, with plans including grants to convert unused upper floors of town centre shops into homes.
Currently, applications have been submitted for 18 of the target 24 units. It is hoped that this will help to revitalise the town centre. Councillor Philip Knowles said: “We need to build up a critical mass of customers. If there are good quality shops, then the new flats will be full. This is a good start in ensuring that the town is busy again.”
He added that the town centre hadn’t always been managed well, saying he was upset at how “half of the Watergate shopping centre had been pulled down and left as a car park” previously.
Councillor Dawson agreed that councils had made “criminal decisions in the 60s and 70s puling down architecturally stunning buildings, and left some horrible buildings standings.” He said: "I can’t believe they took decisions to pull some of them down."
