Work begins on Telford Shopping Centre's Southern Quarter
Work has today begun on the first phase of the £200 million regeneration of Telford’s shopping centre.
The 26,500 sq ft first phase development, known as the Southern Quarter, is on the site of the former Focus store or ‘Green Shed’, which was demolished in 2014.
Part of the Southern Quarter has been pre-let to top national restaurant chains, TGI Friday’s, Prezzo and Handmade Burger Company. The new restaurants will sit next to Telford’s 11-screen Imax Cineworld and neighbouring restaurants at Southwater, which include Pizza Express and Nando’s. Southern Quarter will enhance Telford’s growing reputation as a food and leisure destination and demonstrate that there is significant business confidence within the region.
Southern Quarter is the first part of Sovereign Centros’ transformation of Telford’s shopping centre. Planning consent for the £200 million regeneration, which will add up to 800,000 sq ft of retail and leisure space, was secured in 2013. Telford Shopping Centre offers more than 1 million sq ft of retail, making it one of the UK’s largest covered shopping centres. It is anchored by House of Fraser, Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Primark and BHS. Other major tenants include H&M, Zara, New Look, Topshop/Topman, Next, Boots, Lush, Monsoon, River Island and JD Sports.
The second phase of the regeneration is the Northern Quarter, which will comprise up to seven new stores totalling 70,000 sq ft, on the site of the former Asda supermarket.
Guy Beaumont, senior development and asset manager at Sovereign Centros, said: “Today is another milestone for the continuing regeneration of Telford, following the successful development of Southwater. We are delighted to be starting construction of the Southern Quarter, and our significant investment into this, as well as into the Northern Quarter, will breathe new life into Telford by providing new high-quality shops and restaurants."
Councillor Shaun Davies, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for business, said: “This is another hugely significant step in the regeneration of our town centre that was kick started by our £250 million Southwater development.
“It is great to see work starting on the Shopping Centre’s Southern Quarter site, and Sovereign Centros’s plans will complement the restaurants, cinema and hotel at Southwater. There is more good news to come with the construction of the new Northern Quarter as well and it all just proves what we have been saying – Telford is on the up.”
Completion is expected in the first quarter of 2017.
