Plans submitted for six new retail units in Bedlington town centre
A planning application for six new retail units in the centre of Bedlington has been submitted.
The proposals seek to build the units on brownfield land directly behind Front Street and next to the town’s market place.
The land is currently vacant and is just 47 metres long.
The applicant, Bedlington-based company Springview Landscapes, has not applied for permission for food outlets, but instead for retail units to “promote new small businesses to the area”.
All but one of the units would be single-storey, with the remaining one being two storey.
A design and access statement submitted as part of the application states that the development would be an “appropriately scaled parade of units” that would “complement and support the vision for town centre regeneration”.
It follows existing work carried out by Northumberland County Council’s development company Advance to revamp the town centre. This includes the nearby Aldi store and new retail units on the Market Place, which the applicant describes as the “masterplan” for the town centre development.
The units are said to deliver “high quality design” to “develop vacant land”, allowing the “fringe” of the masterplan site to be developed. The applicant also states this would ‘bolster’ a “key identified pedestrian link” that connects the market place with Front Street.
Cllr Malcolm Robinson, who represents the Bedlington West ward on the county council, said: “Good luck to them – small retail units are the way to go in market towns.
“They’re dying. I’m a big supporter, small is better in this day and age. The small units can also bring footfall to the larger sites.”
The applicant states that the site is currently an “eyesore”. The site is said to be “well positioned” with “good access to local amenities, retail and surrounding residential infrastructure”.
The full application is currently available to view on the council’s planning portal.