Bargain Buys bid blocked by planners
A national discount retailer’s bid to open a new store in an empty Walsall unit has been hit with a major setback.
Walsall Council planners have refused permission to allow Bargain Buys to sell food and drink in part of the proposed store on Crown Wharf Retail Park, in Wolverhampton Street.
Their concerns are that allowing such a store on an “out of centre” retail park would have a negative impact on businesses in the town centre and would go against their policies aimed at supporting trade there.
Bargain Buys had applied for a variation of the existing condition for permission that would have allowed up to 150 square metres of floorspace be given over to food and drink products.
Previously, the unit had been occupied by clothing giant H&M but has lay empty for more than a year since that closed.
The planners’ decision notice said: “The proposal would allow an unacceptable variation of condition relating to goods sold from the edge-of-centre retail park that would conflict with the sequential approach to support town centres by directing investment to in-centre locations in the first instance.
“In view of the need to support investment to maintain the vitality and viability of Walsall town centre it is important to sustain a robust ‘town-centre first’ approach.”
Representatives for the company said they had looked at a number of vacant premises in the town centre but they were not big enough or suitable for Bargain Buys.
There is already an existing Bargain Buys store in Walsall based at Reedswood Retail Park and they said they wanted a second outlet to increase their presence in the town.
