Shopping arcade plans discussed at FSB event

Developers Wilson Bowden and officers from Warwick District Council, who are both behind the Clarendon Arcade project, presented the proposals at the event at the Star and Garter pub in Leamington on Thursday.

The meeting had been organised by the Warwick and Leamington branch of the Federation of Small Businesses.

Philip Clarke, senior projects co-ordinator for Warwick District Council, said: “This was part of our programme to engage with some of the main stakeholder groups which also include BID and the Chamber of Trade.

“We speak about why the Chandos Street site is suitable, why Leamington is suitable and why we want the project to go forward now.

“We thought the public consultation could start this month but that was probably over ambitious but once that does take place things could then progress to a planning application.”

The new plans are for a shopping centre similar in size to the Royal Priors and could include restaurants and leisure facilities.

An independent report commissioned by the council has highlighted a need for a new shopping centre the size of the Clarendon Arcade to draw shoppers back into Leamington.

But in response to the Grimsey Review into ways Britain’s high streets can be improved, Civic Voice chairman Paula Ridley said that more retail may not be the solution.

She said: “The majority of high streets have changed forever and we will not be able to reinvent them as they once were.”

“As a nation we have become obsessed with retail yet we have to accept that retail has changed and needs less high street space.

“Given these far-reaching changes, communities need to ask themselves hard questions about what they want from their local high street and work together to achieve that vision.”