Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
New images of Nasons plan as public has say
Developers ‘delighted’ with support for £20m scheme
Architects behind plans to redevelop the city centre Nasons site say there is overwhelming support for the project.
The ambitious proposals for the former department store were put on display at a public exhibition attended by more than 360 residents and members of the business community, with three in four “very supportive” of the scheme. The £20 million project is a mixed retail, food and residential development called Biggleston Yard, with a covered pedestrian shopping arcade, market hall, open courtyard and flats.
The two-day exhibition included more artist’s impressions and information about the scheme, first revealed by the Kentish Gazette last month, as well as a chance to talk to the architects. It revealed how the new scheme connects to its industrial past and links the High Street to St Margaret’s Lane and Jewry Lane via a retail arcade and public open space. It also focuses on food and drink by incorporating a market hall in the former Foresters Hall, alongside commercial retail and office space, plus 38 flats, 28 serviced apartments, and space for community uses. Last week the project under fire from some critics who branded it “ghastly” and outof-keeping in a medieval city. But a survey of visitors to the exhibition resulted in a far more positive reaction, with more than 74% saying they are “very supportive” of the scheme. A further 17% were “quite supportive”. Only 4% opposed the redevelopment, with the rest neutral. Canterbury Business Improvement District chief executive Lisa Carlson says that together with the Debenhams redevelopment and new Slatters Hotel, it is an “extremely exciting” time for the city
Manuel Alsoni, chief executive officer of Setha Group, which owns the site, said: “We are continuing to refine our proposals and will now consider all the feedback before submitting a planning application as soon as possible next year on how we would breathe exciting new life into the site now vacant for more than a year.”
Simon Child, founder of Child Graddon Lewis, one of the two award-winning firms of architects working on the Biggleston Yard project, added: “In many traditional town and city centres, retailing is struggling, yet people still love to meet friends and family in exciting environments, especially those offering high-quality and fresh experiences.
“There is no shortage of new retail and leisure businesses who understand how to engage customers through bricks and mortar as well as online. The challenge is finding the right environment and creating a
‘We are continuing to refine our proposals and will now consider all the feedback before submitting a planning application’
distinctive design that tells a place’s interesting story. “Canterbury is one of the few cathedral cities with a large industrial site at its heart and the scheme’s design reflects this and all within a medieval street pattern to create a vibrant new distinctive destination.”
To view the scheme, visit www.bigglestonyard.info.