Redundant Homebase store could be replaced

A DIY store set to close within months could be demolished to make way for a new unit, under plans submitted to Solihull Council.

During the summer it had been announced that the Homebase outlet, in Oakenshaw Road, was one of 42 branches that the national chain would be closing around the country.

Now a planning application has been submitted to bulldoze the building and put a redesigned unit in its place; intended as a stand-out feature of the Sears Retail Park.

The proposal would form part of a wider redevelopment of the Shirley shopping destination, which was first brought forward several years ago.

Aside from the construction of a 3,252 sq m unit, the existing garden centre and conservatory would be removed to make way for 55 extra parking spaces.

“The retail park is undergoing a redevelopment and the landlord is looking at investing in the park as a whole,” said a planning statement submitted to the council.

On its specific plans for Unit 1, it added: “The unit is currently occupied by Homebase who are the subject of a Company Voluntary Agreement. The store will cease trading as early as December 2018.”

Homebase had announced in August that more than 40 of its 241 stores would be closing over the next 16 months, with up to 1,500 jobs at risk.

Chief executive Damian McGloughlin had said at the time that “decisive action” was needed to address underperformance.