A CLOTHES store will be forced to close if plans to redesign Biggleswade’s retail park are approved.
LXB Retail’s plans to completely rebuild the London Road Retail Park have been much discussed since they were first announced in June.
It was initially thought that the current retailers would welcome the plans but now Argos, Homebase and Matalan have voiced their concerns.
At a meeting of Biggleswade Town Council’s planning committee on Tuesday, Matalan’s director of property, Jonathan Spaven, said that it would be impossible for the store to stay open in the proposed park.
Speaking afterwards, he said: “We have a lease that doesn’t expire til 2025.
“We are all very happy with the retail park in its current form and the way we are trading there.
“What’s proposed is not really a traditional retail park – it’s a huge shopping park. That means higher rents and we would have to draw people from further afield.
“We have stores in Stevenage and Bedford so we would be robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
He added many of the stores share the same concerns and even if planning permission goes ahead there will be further steps to take before the plans become reality.
To read the full story see the Biggleswade Chronicle of Friday, April 13.