Is Parkway Just a massive White Elephant? Options

[TallDarkAndHands...]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=14202

[Bloggo]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=14202

Not good news but I'm sure it will be fully occupied soon. My worry is that the rest of the town is going to be deserted. I expect New Look will close their Kennet centre shop leaving another vacant site. It's turning into a ghost town that end.
M&S moving into Parkway is interesting have two shops so close.

[TallDarkAndHands...]

Not good news but I'm sure it will be fully occupied soon. My worry is that the rest of the town is going to be deserted. I expect New Look will close their Kennet centre shop leaving another vacant site. It's turning into a ghost town that end.
M&S moving into Parkway is interesting have two shops so close.

More like the Wild West than a Ghost town.

[dannyboy]

Not good news but I'm sure it will be fully occupied soon. My worry is that the rest of the town is going to be deserted. I expect New Look will close their Kennet centre shop leaving another vacant site. It's turning into a ghost town that end.
M&S moving into Parkway is interesting have two shops so close.

I think M&S are simply extending the back of their current shop into the PW scheme.

[Bloggo]

I think M&S are simply extending the back of their current shop into the PW scheme.

OK, That makes sense.

[Jacklets]

Absolutely - the largest white elephant you could possibly imagine! Hardly a surprise they're struggling to fill it - I've never understood why it was decided the town needed to compete with its neighbours, instead the focus should have been on enhancing the charm it once had as a small market town with some unique shops - that in itself would attract many out of the bigger nearby towns and towards Newbury for something different.

Apart from H & M, it's not even bringing any new retailers to the area - simply shuffling around the ones we already have - to leave vacant shops elsewhere.

[JeffG]

Not even sure what H & M is. Another fashion store I suppose?

[Iommi]

Not even sure what H & M is. Another fashion store I suppose?

http://www.hm.com/gb/abouthm__abouthm.nhtml

[theone09]

I bet it's nothing to do with no-one signing up, probably due to delays in the building work!!

[DrPepper]

I bet it's nothing to do with no-one signing up, probably due to delays in the building work!!

Doubt it, they would much rather admit to building delays than lack of interest, lack of interest generates more dis-interest. Not sure why anyone thought this would be a good idea in the first place though - Newbury just isn't that big a town and with Reading, Basingstoke, Swindon & Oxford all within half an hour or so a new shopping centre just isn't required.

I'm sure WBC weren't seduced by the amount of S106 money that would have been required for the planning to be approved

[spartacus]

Presumably completion of the 184 residential apartments will also be behind schedule?

[DrPepper]

Presumably completion of the 184 residential apartments will also be behind schedule?

Good point, isn't it just typical for WBC to proceed with a new shopping and housing development just as the UK enters the worst recession in living memory. You have to admire their (and Standard Life's) foresight

[theone09]

I said it's due to building delays. Newbury Sound have nothing about the lack of retailers but delays in construction http://newburysound.co.uk/delays-for-shoppers--i-6687.php

[DrPepper]

I said it's due to building delays. Newbury Sound have nothing about the lack of retailers but delays in construction http://newburysound.co.uk/delays-for-shoppers--i-6687.php

"Standard Life Investments, who are behind the development financially, say it's down to construction problems at the start and needing extra time to secure more shops."

This is from the Newbury Sound article you quote. I believe this suggests the initial delays were indeed down to building problems, but the latest delay is down to lack of retailers taking units.

Lets face it you can't open a shopping centre with only three shops - oh, sorry forgot, the Kennet Centre may just contradict this

[Bloggo]

Presumably completion of the 184 residential apartments will also be behind schedule?

I'm sure that there will be a strong desire to get the apartments occupied to harvest the council tax and I suspect the car park will be operational to get the revenue.

[HeatherW]

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=14202

Unfortunately we won't know until it is up and running. As with anything.

[Biker1]

Apart from H & M, it's not even bringing any new retailers to the area - simply shuffling around the ones we already have - to leave vacant shops elsewhere.

Look what happened to Friars Walk in Reading when the Oracle opened.

Interesting shots here.

[blackdog]

I'm sure that there will be a strong desire to get the apartments occupied to harvest the council tax and I suspect the car park will be operational to get the revenue.

WBC were anticipating an income of £300k pa from the car park - does this mean they will need to save another £150k in the current round of cuts?

[Rosewinelover]

I went in town yesterday, first time in ages, and how dull is it. Horrible. The Kennet Center is a joke only a couple of nice shops I like. I have no hope for the new shopping center being built - no shops want to go in there anyway, I don't blame them!
I just hope they leave the park alone, I love going there with my son and walking round, in fact off there now to feed the ducks

[eternalriver]

WBC were anticipating an income of £300k pa from the car park - does this mean they will need to save another £150k in the current round of cuts?

They'll need to reinvest that into propping Victoria Park and the surrounding properties up as they crack and crumble!