Shopping centre plans are given green light
A MULTI-million pound plan to redevelop the heart of Leicester’s shopping centre has been given the green light.
After months of speculation over the future of the House of Fraser unit in the Highcross, it will now be transformed into a several different units.
Civic chiefs have given property giant Hammerson, which owns Highcross, planning consent to undergo a £14 million redevelopment of the unit.
It comes as Hammerson has also secured three high-profile brands - Zara, JD Sports, and Treetop Adventure - to anchor the newly-created space.
Some new units will open onto High Street, increasing the number of premises in the busy shopping street, and onto “under-utilised” Shires Lane, which runs from High Street towards Cinema de Lux.
Highcross’s High Street and Shires Lane facades will undergo improvements, and the Shires Lane service yard will be removed to create extra retail space.
International fashion retailer Zara will open a flagship store, while JD Sports will expand into a much larger unit, and Treetop Adventure Golf, which will provide the leisure element of the project.
Peter Cooper, Hammerson’s director of UK shopping centres, said: “This is the culmination of a lot of effort over a considerable amount of time.
“We needed to resolve what has been a long standing trading issue in Highcross with the House of Fraser department store.
“In reality it isn’t really a department store, it has become an outlet centre which is at odds with what you expect to see in a mainstream shopping centre and at odds with what you would expect to see of a House of Fraser facia on the high street.
“We knew House of Fraser was keen to resolve the situation.
“They didn’t want to run a full line store and we wanted some more excitement in the space.
“It doesn’t do anything for our customers, it doesn’t do anything for the city centre and below it there is a service yard which is a bit of a hangover from before the days of the Highcross.
“There was a service street, and we created some shops down one side of it, but it was a bit one-sided.
“If you have great restaurants one side and a service yard down the other, they don’t really fit very well .
“So our redevelopment plan solves all these problems.
“It divides the building up so that it can be used for five or six new uses in seven or eight new shops and it brings more active frontage to the High Street junction with Shires Lane.
“Now it will be a proper two-sided street.”
Peter said the plan was to carve up the existing HoF store both vertically and horizontally.
“We will bring in new occupiers which will be completely relevant to the shopping expectations for the Leicester catchment, and on the top deck we are adding about another 100 or so car parking spaces to relieve congestion at peak parking times.”
Peter, who has a soft spot for Leicester, having spent some time living here, said he was excited that the development meant about £15 million of inward investment into Leicester.
Hammerson is about to serve notice on House of Fraser and they then have 100 days to move out.
The staff are already aware of the move. The store is thought to have 253 staff, although according to the planning application, the newly created units will eventually employ 326 people.
Work will begin at the end of September, with the stores starting their fitouts in the summer of 2018, in time to open for the crucial Christmas trading period.
Peter is particularly pleased that Zara – which already has a shop in Highcross – has taken the opportunity to relocate into a much larger and more prominent unit.
He said: “This will give us a regional standard, best-in-class Zara.
“It is one of the top fashion brands in the UK, doing fantastic sales and offering great value for money apparel which appeals to a broad spectrum of customers.
“It is a real vote of confidence for Leicester because Zara wants to locate a larger store in the city, with its brand new shop fit. So that’s really good news.”
Peter is equally enthused by the arrival of Treetops Adventure Golf.
He said: “They offer indoor golf and they’re really popular in London.
“It is fantastic for the evenings and fits in really well.
“People can come along and play golf and then go and grab a meal.
“It is all about broadening the leisure offer of the centre and encouraging people to come into Leicester in the evenings.”
Peter’s delight does not stop there.
One of the first to sign up is JD Sports who are moving into a much larger store.
He said: “They are signing over 50 deals a year at the moment.
“This is a very strong business extending itself and is yet another vote of confidence in Leicester retail.”
The new eateries and cafes along Shires Lane are aimed at bringing the area to life after 5pm.
Peter said: “We will completely change it. There will be street foodstyle restaurants and we want it to be as international as possible.
“We are quite choosy about who we get because we want the widest variety possible.”