Carl Evans (Credit: Stoke Sentinel)
UK franchisee Carl Evans has endorsed a potential retail redevelopment in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Stoke Sentinel featured Evans’ perspective on a recent development in the Staffordshire town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, where the local borough council is aiming to move location, which would offer more retail space in the town.
The plans entail the council moving to an old school site in the town, with a former Sainsbury’s supermarket space adjoining its current location also being sold for redevelopment into a “large shopping complex”, which could bring £60 million ($96.8 million/€71.6 million) in investment to the town alongside up to 700 new jobs.
Evans, who owns the Cartridge World franchise on George Street in the town, stated to the newspaper: “It’s important to develop the site. It’s good the borough council is thinking of moving. I hope they are going to stay within the ring road and I hope there will be residential accommodation.”
Councillor Gareth Snell, leader of the borough council, added: “We haven’t had any significant interest in the old Sainsbury’s store yet. Part of the next stage of bringing it to market is to gauge that interest. What we do know is this sort of development opportunity doesn’t come up very often in the local area so we are expecting to see a lot [of] interest.”