News

A £3.5m retail development in Worcestershire has taken a step closer to becoming reality with the beginning of construction work.

Commercial property developer, the Hinton Group, has started work on phase one of the development, which will transform the former Market Hall site in Bromsgrove town centre, create new jobs and attract further investment.

Hinton Group director Jon Hinton was joined by councillors Karen May and Margaret Buxton, of Bromsgrove District Council, and Daren Humphrey of Waitrose, to officially launch the start of work on site.

Contractor PDR Construction has begun the demolition of existing buildings, including George House, which housed the former Blockbuster store. Waitrose is expected to open in Spring 2017.

Bromsgrove District Council completed the deal to sell the land to the Hinton Group earlier this year. Phase one of the development includes the 9,000 sq ft food store and 86 car parking spaces.

A planning application has been submitted for phase two, which will include a further 14,500 sq ft of retail space.

Hinton Group development director Jon Hinton said: “As we are based in Bromsgrove, this project is very important to us. We are very proud to be playing our part in delivering a key element of the regeneration of our town centre, and we are committed to achieving similar success with the remainder of the site.

“We have been working very hard behind the scenes for a long time to ensure Bromsgrove gets the best result possible on this site. I’m confident that the new Waitrose store will be welcomed by residents and visitors to Bromsgrove and will provide an impressive new facility on this important site.”

Councillor Karen May said: “After lots of hard work behind the scenes, it is extremely exciting that residents and visitors will now be able to see the development physically taking shape. I’d like to welcome Waitrose to Bromsgrove and look forward to hearing about future opportunities for the town via this development.”

The new store will create 60 full and part-time jobs. Public access to the store will be from St John’s Street.