Ambitious plans have been approved which will see shops, businesses and a cinema built on the site of Northallerton’s former prison.
Work on transforming the site will begin next year, after the scheme won approval from members of Hambleton District Council’s planning committee on Thursday, November 15.
The £17m Treadmills project will see new retail, residential, leisure and office spaces brought to the town, along with a large public square on the 3.5 acre site.
Click here to follow our Facebook page!
The development incorporates five of the former prison’s Grade II listed buildings, which were preserved when the rest of the prison site was demolished.
It will include the creation of a four-screen cinema, with three food units on the ground floor. Elsewhere, there will be five retail units, the conversion of existing prison buildings to office space, four residential units and two food units. Also included in the plans will be a new civic square, car parking and new vehicle and pedestrian accesses.
The report, which went before Hambleton’s planning committee, said the development would enhance the “significance of parts of the heritage assets” and enable the site to be brought back into public space. It said the new leisure and retail area would complement and strengthen what was already offered in the town centre.
The plans had been hailed as “Northallerton’s most significant regeneration scheme for decades”, but the renovation has not been without its critics.
Planners Urged to Reject Northallerton Prison Leisure Hub Plan
There were also some concerns about the impact on the neighbouring arts venue and cinema, the Forum.
The report acknowledged the development “may have a detrimental impact” on the Forum’s viability. It said the existing cinema at the Forum cross-subsidised other community activities at the venue and supported the financial viability of the Forum charity.
The report stated it seemed likely the new cinema would have an impact on the charity’s screenings, but it was unclear how severe the impact would be. It went on to say discussions were underway between the applicants, the council and the Forum to agree how to work together to ensure “both the new cinema and the Forum can thrive in Northallerton”.
The project is being delivered by the Central Northallerton Development Company, a joint venture between Hambleton District Council and developers, the Wykeland Group.
Discount supermarket Lidl has already been unveiled as the retail anchor for the project and Hull based C4DI – the Centre for Digital Innovation – confirmed as the operator of the digital tech office space. Negotiations are underway to finalise operators of the remaining retail and leisure units.
Chairman of the CNDCL Board, Hambleton District Councillor Peter Wilkinson, said planning approval means work on the project will start in the spring of 2019.
“This is a very exciting project, not just for Northallerton, but for the area as a whole,” he said.
“It will generate more activity in the town centre with people coming to visit the shops and enjoy the leisure experience we will offer through the restaurants and cinema.”
Planning committee members were told that the scheme aims to preserve and enhance a major part of Northallerton’s history and heritage; regenerate a large brownfield site; deliver a major boost to the local economy; and bring significant new community assets and facilities to the town.
Dominic Gibbons, managing director of Wykeland Group, and CNDCL board member, said: “We’re delighted this transformational redevelopment has gained planning approval and will soon move into the construction phase.
“This scheme will respect and conserve the heritage of the site while delivering many economic, social and community benefits for Northallerton, the wider area and local residents.”
Be the first to comment