- Huw Hughes
-
|
UK shopping centre operator Intu has laid out plans for a 168 million
pound renovation to its Intu Lakeside shopping centre in south Essex.
The ambitious plans, submitted to Thurrock Council in a planning
application, will add approximately 40,000-square-metres of retail space to
the shopping centre and around 30 to 40 new stores.
The changes include a new ‘state-of-the-art’ bus station, enhanced
pedestrian and cycle linkages, and a new public realm, all of which Intu
said will better integrate Intu Lakeside with the rest of the Lakeside
Basin. The centre’s bus station and part of its Debenhams store will be
demolished to make way for the proposed renovations.
If the plans are approved, Intu estimates it will create 1,553 temporary
construction jobs over the 3 year construction period, as well as 2,930
retail jobs once the refurbishment is complete. The earliest date of
commencement of construction is expected in 2021, while the earliest date
of the extension being fully open for trading is expected in 2024.
Intu Lakeside currently provides around 133,000-square-metres of retail
space, with over 250 shops including Debenhams, House of Fraser and
Primark.
Data released in June from planning and
development consultancy Lichfields revealed that retail and leisure
destinations owned by Intu are contributing nearly 5 billion pounds to the
UK’s economy and supporting more than 130,000 jobs across the country last
year.
Photo credit: Intu Lakeside
