Store deal gives town £500,000 boost
Half a million pounds has been contributed to
the redevelopment of Bromsgrove Town Centre after full planning
permission was formally granted to Sainsbury’s in January.
Planning permission for the 8,449 square metre
store with nine separate retail units equating to a further 1,076
square metres on the Bromsgrove Retail Park, Birmingham Road, was
formally approved on January 17 after an agreement was reached on
public realm contributions and sustainable transport
objectives.
As a result Sainsbury’s will now contribute
£497,850 to the improvement of the public realm in Bromsgrove. The
agreement, under Section 106 of the Town & Country Planning Act
1990, was signed on January 5 and is split into £347,850 for Town
Centre public realm and landscaping improvements, a £100,000
sustainable transport contribution, and a £50,000 walking and
cycling contribution.
Bromsgrove District Council portfolio holder
for Town Centre regeneration Del Booth said: “Creating the building
blocks for a successful High Street and retail centre is a key
priority for this Council and the clear focus of the wider
regeneration partnership.
“We are therefore delighted to strike this
agreement to bring half a million pounds of investment into
Bromsgrove. It will complement the commitment of the regeneration
partners as well as the pending Townscape Heritage Initiative, and
the improvements that it will enable will benefit everyone who
lives, works, visits or does business in Bromsgrove for years to
come.”
The terms of the agreement commit the District
Council to applying all the monies solely to public realm
improvements to the Strand, High Street and land within Bromsgrove
Town Centre within five years. After five years, any unspent money
would be returned to Sainsbury’s.
The agreement also commits the County Council
to use the sustainable transport monies solely on the provision of
bus shelters and other aspects of bus services, and the walking and
cycling monies solely on new walking and cycling routes in the
town.
Sainsbury’s planning application was approved
in principle by the Planning Committee of Bromsgrove District
Council on 28 June 2010 and had been subject to a successful
Section 106 Agreement.
Public consultations on a range of planned
Town Centre improvements are set to begin on Thursday February 2
for six weeks – see http://www.bromsgrove.gov.uk/conservation
soon for more details.
