March 31, 2016
At least half of a large scale development in Amersham town centre will be used for retail space after residents voiced concern over its future, it was confirmed this month.
Developers Angle Property said the planning application for the development at 75 Sycamore Road has been amended after residents raised fears about restaurants taking up possible supermarket space.
The Iceland store, which took up most of the building, closed on December 31 2015 with the Chairman of Chiltern District Council Mimi Harker claiming the move was “a huge loss to the town”.
Top retailers, including Iceland themselves as well as Morrisons and The Co-op, have since been in talks with developers about moving into the site.
It was announced in January that a restaurant chain could also be looking to move into the space with Angle Property confirming Bill’s and Zizzi’s were “very interested” in the site.
James Good, Director for Angle Property said: “As promised, we have continued to review all the feedback received and look to incorporate this into our evolving plans where possible and appropriate.
“In response to residents’ concerns about a loss retail space and too many restaurants in the town, we have now amended our planning application to ensure that a minimum of 50% of the ground floor will be retail accommodation.
“A minimum of 50% of the shopping frontage is also limited to A1 retail use only. This will provide the opportunity for continued food retail use in a significant part of the ground floor, together with other retail or restaurant occupiers.
“We continue to negotiate with a number of different occupiers about taking space within the proposed scheme and look forward to providing further clarity once we have agreed terms.”
Plans for the redevelopment of the site – which includes two other retail outlets (Cargo and Chilton Watson Opticians) – would see the existing building replaced with two retail/restaurant units, and as many as 35 new flats above.