Cranbrook needs a new supermarket and more shops according to a new council report
By Rebecca_H | Thursday, February 03, 2011, 20:57
Cranbrook needs a new supermarket, and to vastly increase the number of shops it has according to a new report.
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What do you think about the supposed need for more shops in Cranbrook according to a recent report?
The town has been highlighted in the Tunbridge Wells Retail and Leisure study – used by planners when drawing up future policy – as having the most potential for development in the outlying areas of the borough.
As well as a second supermarket, the borough council-commissioned report – drawn up by London-based consultants Cushman and Wakefield – recommended increasing the shopping floor space by more than 400 per cent and creating pedestrianised areas around the town.
It suggested that within five years, the amount of shopping space in the town dedicated to fashion and electrical goods could increase from 67sq metres to a staggering 669sq metres, and by 2026 could increase to an eye-popping 2,753sq metres.
To cope with the expansion, it suggested adding a new route between the High Street and the town's main car park "with an intimate public space suitable for sitting-out areas for cafes/restaurants and bars".
Sites highlighted include the area behind the George Hotel and land south of the High Street.
Yikes! What do you think of these proposals? Do you agree they'd be a good idea? Or would development of this size ruin all that is good about Cranbrook?
Comments
What utter rubbish - we're already struggling to fill the shops we have already, and there are several empty premises on the High Street. I also read today that the national average per town is something like 12% of all shops are currently empty; whilst we might be somewhat less than this in Cranbrook, I have absolutely no idea how the town would fill such a massive increase in available retail space - unless of course they are filled by the generic, high street retailers. Bad for the independent stores already here - and even worse for the overall 'feel' of the town that many of cherish so much. Thanks for publishing the report - surprised there hasn't been more reaction to it as yet!!
By MargaretF2010 at 18:30 on 15/02/11
Report