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Welcome news for the town

As machinery and manpower forges ahead on a major retail development within Kendal’s heartland, community leaders, businesses and civic groups have welcomed the venture as a real asset for the town.

Plans for land off Stricklandgate have attracted attention from groups and individuals throughout the area from the moment they were first unveiled. And, after rounds of discussions and negotiations about the scheme and its design, demolition and construction work kicked into gear earlier this year signalling the active phase of the development.

South Lakeland District Council, the planning authority for Kendal, was pleased to see work begin on what is a major investment in the retail centre of the district. SLDC’s director of amenities and development Martin Jayne said: “A major and well-respected food retailer with space to offer a wide range of goods will be an incentive for shoppers to come to the town centre for their everyday shopping.

“This will give a choice to those who do not wish to shop outside the traditional town centre at edge-of-town supermarkets.” He said the new shops would enable Kendal to offer a wider range of “shopping experiences”, while the new multi-level car park would be “a great addition” to the existing town centre facilities. “The council is particularly excited that developers have included 20 housing apartments in the scheme. This is totally in line with the council’s aim of enabling more people to live within the town centre with easy access to all its facilities,” he explained.

“The Government is now convinced of the benefits of mixed-use developments in town centres and - with this scheme - it can be said that our local community is in the vanguard of positive change.”

Kendal town mayor Avril Dobson welcomed the development, particularly the plans for a public piazza and attractive links to Elephant Yard and Stricklandgate. As a ward councillor for Kirkland she was concerned at seeing a shift in trade towards the north end of town, but conceded the re-development would enhance an area, which had long been an unattractive parking area. “It is bound to be an improvement and it is nice to think there will be residential accommodation in the town centre. Kendal is only a small town but quite often when you walk around at night it is absolutely dead.” “Once Strickland-gate is pedestrianised it will make it a nice area to walk around,” she said. Kendal Retail Forum’s chairman Paul Little was “very positive” about the venture, which he said brought new investment into the town and had been “well thought out”.

Mr Little felt the design of the scheme was in keeping with its surroundings, while the extra car parking would help meet shoppers’ demand for more short-term car parking. “It also brings a major food retailer into the town centre, which is good to see,” he said. “It is nice to see a company looking to invest in a food outlet in the town centre and any new units are welcome. The development will be an asset and hopefully give more choice and variety to people visiting Kendal. “It is plus, plus, plus,” he enthused. “I think that’s shared by the majority of the Retail Forum Members.”

George Read, chairman of the South Lakeland business affinity group, part of the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said: “Any development that encourages jobs in the area is good news. The chamber is behind it.”

Elephant Yard centre manager Peter Boyd also found favour with the development and what it would mean for Kendal. He said the centre, and its tenants, were behind it, saying: “We feel it is certainly going to be an asset for Kendal.” Mr Boyd said it promised to be an attractive setting, adding: “The scheme itself looks excellent and we feel it will help our business. We also feel very happy with the number of car parking spaces. “We feel the town centre has needed this [a large food store] for quite some time, and we are very pleased this has been taken up and that the council is supporting it.”

Kendal Civic Society has taken a keen interest in the project since the plans first went on display, and members’ comments have played an important role during the consultation stage. The society’s chairman Dr John Satchell told The Westmorland Gazette that members had particularly emphasised the need for strong links with Stricklandgate to make the site a success.

He said the initial proposal had featured “mock traditional shop fronts” on the new retail units. “We thought that should be replaced with something more in keeping with the more modern design of Booths, and the plans have been modified. “Our comments have been taken into account very fully,” he said. “We have had considerable discussions with the planners at an early stage and we think the final scheme will be considerably improved as a result. “We have no objections to the new Booths store, rather we have welcomed the bold design of the front of the building.”

Reproduced courtesy of The Westmorland Gazette,
'New Horizon', Friday, March 14, 2003

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