Parkgate Shopping, the 2nd largest purpose-built retail warehouse park in the UK, could get even bigger if plans are approved for a new foodstore on the Rotherham retail park.
Having acquired the park for around £60m, new owners, Columbia Threadneedle, have assessed the potential for expansion when the delayed £12m link road and Park & Ride completes later this year.
A new outline planning application has been submitted for land next to Matalan which is currently used as a Park & Ride for the tram-train.
With the relocation of the Park & Ride to a larger facility when the road opens, the new proposal is for a 20,000 sq ft rectangular unit "that is the required format of food retailers in order to provide linear aisle for convenience goods shopping."
The applicant is Sackville UK Property Select IV Nominee (1) Limited and Sackville UK Property Select IV Nominee (2) Limited c/o Threadneedle Portfolio Services Ltd.
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The plans discuss that it will be a national multiple food retailer that will be the new tenants, with the proposed store employing circa 50 full-time equivalent staff members.
No occupier is named but an analysis of the current market submitted with the application by agents, Savills, states that this size of store is popular with secondary foodstores including Waitrose, M&S and Co-op, and discount foodstore retailers including Aldi and Lidl.
As the site is classed as out of town, a retail assessment and sequential test is also included.
Sequential tests ensure that development is located in the most sustainable location first (usually in town centres), before other, less sustainable locations are chosen.
The analysis concludes that are no suitable alternative sites in nearby town centres, highlighting that vacant buildings like the Howard Building or former bingo hall on Corporation Street in Rotherham town centre do not lend themselves to retail requirements.
When assessing the potential impact of the range of convenience goods proposed to be sold from the new foodstore at Parkgate on established town centres, the applicants say that "the only centre that the proposed development diverts trade from is Rotherham town centre," adding that: "the impact on convenience goods floorspace will be 3.1%, which cannot be characterised as significantly adverse under any reasonable threshold."
The principal location in the town centre that the proposal will draw trade from is the Tesco Extra store on Drummond Street. Analysis shows that the impact of the proposal on that store is 2.8%, which is considered minimal.
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New analysis puts the Tesco Extra trading at £71.98m at 2029, double the estimate of £29.6m in a 2017 study. The proposed foodstore at Parkgate has an expected turnover of £16.86m at 2029.
Applicants add that the new proposal would not have a significant adverse impact on the Forge Island or markets redevelopments.
The plans state: "The impact of the proposal on existing convenience goods retail facilities in centres is not significantly adverse. The impact of the proposal on defined centres when taken as a whole is not significantly adverse. This conclusion is not considered be unusual [sic] given the modest scale of the foodstore proposed.
"Further, the ambition for Rotherham is for the revitalisation of that centre as a leisure-led location. The proposal has no impact on this ambition.
"The proposal will enhance convenience goods provision in the local area, affording local residents a greater choice of convenience goods shopping facilities. It will provide a modest foodstore at an accessible site in close proximity to surrounding residential areas."
Parkgate Shopping website
Images: Columbia Threadneedle / Harris Partnership / Google Maps
Having acquired the park for around £60m, new owners, Columbia Threadneedle, have assessed the potential for expansion when the delayed £12m link road and Park & Ride completes later this year.
A new outline planning application has been submitted for land next to Matalan which is currently used as a Park & Ride for the tram-train.
With the relocation of the Park & Ride to a larger facility when the road opens, the new proposal is for a 20,000 sq ft rectangular unit "that is the required format of food retailers in order to provide linear aisle for convenience goods shopping."
The applicant is Sackville UK Property Select IV Nominee (1) Limited and Sackville UK Property Select IV Nominee (2) Limited c/o Threadneedle Portfolio Services Ltd.
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The plans discuss that it will be a national multiple food retailer that will be the new tenants, with the proposed store employing circa 50 full-time equivalent staff members.
No occupier is named but an analysis of the current market submitted with the application by agents, Savills, states that this size of store is popular with secondary foodstores including Waitrose, M&S and Co-op, and discount foodstore retailers including Aldi and Lidl.
As the site is classed as out of town, a retail assessment and sequential test is also included.
Sequential tests ensure that development is located in the most sustainable location first (usually in town centres), before other, less sustainable locations are chosen.
The analysis concludes that are no suitable alternative sites in nearby town centres, highlighting that vacant buildings like the Howard Building or former bingo hall on Corporation Street in Rotherham town centre do not lend themselves to retail requirements.
When assessing the potential impact of the range of convenience goods proposed to be sold from the new foodstore at Parkgate on established town centres, the applicants say that "the only centre that the proposed development diverts trade from is Rotherham town centre," adding that: "the impact on convenience goods floorspace will be 3.1%, which cannot be characterised as significantly adverse under any reasonable threshold."
The principal location in the town centre that the proposal will draw trade from is the Tesco Extra store on Drummond Street. Analysis shows that the impact of the proposal on that store is 2.8%, which is considered minimal.
Applicants add that the new proposal would not have a significant adverse impact on the Forge Island or markets redevelopments.
The plans state: "The impact of the proposal on existing convenience goods retail facilities in centres is not significantly adverse. The impact of the proposal on defined centres when taken as a whole is not significantly adverse. This conclusion is not considered be unusual [sic] given the modest scale of the foodstore proposed.
"Further, the ambition for Rotherham is for the revitalisation of that centre as a leisure-led location. The proposal has no impact on this ambition.
"The proposal will enhance convenience goods provision in the local area, affording local residents a greater choice of convenience goods shopping facilities. It will provide a modest foodstore at an accessible site in close proximity to surrounding residential areas."
Parkgate Shopping website
Images: Columbia Threadneedle / Harris Partnership / Google Maps