Improvement plans unveiled at Southway shopping centre
It will extend and improve the former Co-operative store
Plans have been submitted to extend and improve the former Co-operative store at the Southway shopping centre in Plymouth.
The retailer moved out of the centre in September after the end of its lease, leaving the anchor unit empty at the centre off Southway Drive, opposite an Aldi.
The centre owner has now come up with proposals to modernise the store with a new glass frontage.
The proposals would see the anchor store extended into the car park with a new entrance and walkway into the central courtyard.
The current alleyway into the centre from the car park would be turned into an extra shop unit.
The proposals include alterations to the car park and the creation of a new delivery area for lorries.
It is understood that the shopping centre owner has been in talks with several leading national retailers about taking over the empty store.
The post office which was inside the Co-op has yet to find a new location after plans to open in the McColls shop are understood to have stalled.
The centre has proved popular with shoppers and has seen strong demand for units, with all apart from the anchor store now occupied or under offer.
New arrivals include a hair salon, funeral directors Southwest Funeral Care, and WeBuyAnyCar.com.
The owner Wishcare Properties Ltd has recently invested in a series of improvements to the centre and car park.
Public consultation on the planning application continues until Tuesday, December 22.
A decision will then be made by planning officers or the city council’s planning committee.