
The retailer Next has been given the go-ahead to expand its Seamer Road premises as part of the closure of its town centre site.
Next’s application to expand its operation into an adjacent unit on Seamer Road, where it currently operates a ‘Home’ store, has been approved by North Yorkshire Council.
The business has said it plans to close its premises in the Brunswick Centre in Scarborough town centre because of its redevelopment as a cinema and failure to agree a long-term lease with the current owners, Scarborough Group International (SGI).
It will expand into the currently vacant Unit 3B, which was previously occupied by Magnet Kitchens between Next Home in Unit 3A and Cooplands Bakery in Unit 3C.
The scheme includes a new internal mezzanine of around 300 square metres, which will be used for both trading and stockroom purposes and will accommodate a sales area.
A highway assessment noted that there would be “a maximum of 21 additional movements in any one hour associated with the increased floorspace”.
The applicant said that the additional parking demand of five vehicles could be accommodated by the existing parking spaces, which “continue to be adequate to serve the retail park”.
No objections were raised by the Highway Authority and no comments were received from members of the public.
Planning officers said that the design of the shop front was considered “appropriate in the context of the modern retail park and would complement this style of unit”.
Next said it was “keen to continue trading within Scarborough” and plans submitted to the council stated that the consolidation of the business’s offer in Scarborough into a single location would enable the company to maintain a long-term presence in the town.
The retailer previously said that its premises in the Brunswick Centre is on a “rolling lease with a three-month notice of termination” and added that the centre’s owners “have indicated they expect to serve notice soon in order to progress with their redevelopment plans”.
The application was approved subject to conditions by North Yorkshire Council.
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