FASHION retailer Peacocks will be setting up a store on Bude’s Binhamy retail park site, writes Ryan Cox.

The news, outlined to Bude-Stratton town councillors at their meeting last Thursday, means Peacocks will join B&M and Lidl, both of whom want to open stores on the site.

Cornwall Council has now approved Catesby Property Group’s plans to bring a B&M Home store and B&M Garden Centre to the site — the firm hopes to start work on the development before the summer so it is ready for Christmas this year.

David Morris, Catesby Property Group planning director, gave an update to planning committee councillors on where they currently stand with the B&M development, as well as the other vacant units on the site.

He said contracts had been exchanged with B&M but as regards to the other two vacant units, potential tenants felt the proposed units were too big for them.

He said: “For that reason, we have applied to alter the size, purely due to tenant demand, their reason being due to the catchment area that they would have running a business there.”

He said an applicaton to alter the units’ size was lodged with Cornwall Council just before Christmas.

In the altered plans, the two vacant units will be split into three smaller ones — therefore making way for three more operators to occupy the space rather than two, which could potentially bring even more jobs to the area, combined with the 75 to 80 that B&M is predicted to create.

Mr Morris added that with the three proposed smaller units, one operator had already been secured: “We are in discussion with a clothing operator for one of the three units, and I can tell you that the operator we are in serious discussion with is Peacocks.

“At the moment we have no operators to announce for the other two units as we have not reached that stage with anyone yet — Peacocks are definitely one though.

“In terms of floor space, rather unusually, we are actually applying for less than the already granted retail space. There’s no change in terms of the type of retail space, just now there are three rather than two, and one of those three units is less than 5,000 square feet, the size that was agreed to in the original consent.”

One of the more controversial aspects of the development when Mr Morris discussed plans with the town council early last year was what items would be allowed to be sold in the units.

Councillors raised concerns at the time that the conditions set for potential operators were ‘too loose’ and could have an adverse effect on the town’s shops. With that in mind, Mr Morris came back to the full council in March with new, tighter conditions, detailing more specific regulations in the application. Councillors were happier with the new conditions and approved the plans.

If Cornwall Council approves the latest plans, Mr Morris hopes work should start fairly soon.

He said: “If consent is granted we are looking to start construction in April/May, but ideally March, depending on the speed of planning consent etc.

“The aim is to have all the units open before Christmas so we’re looking at September/October time.

“The B&M part of the development has been agreed by Bude-Stratton Town Council and now Cornwall Council too, so there’ll be no change to any of that. In essence, all that has changed is two units split into three smaller ones, still with the same rooflines etc.”

Chairman of the planning committee, Cllr Bob Willingham said: “My concern has always been that whatever is being sold at the retail park doesn’t hit the town centre, and as the new plans are not looking to alter that aspect, I don’t see any problem with it.”

Mr Morris agreed with Cllr Willingham that he would come back to the town council’s next planning meeting once the application was officially up for discussion, and Cllr Willingham added it would be good to give the public a chance to come and have their say on the development and ask questions if they wish to.

The next town council planning meeting is on Thursday, January 21 at 10am in the Parkhouse Centre’s Conference Room, and, as always, members of the public are invited to attend.