Local firm Exchange Street Properties has this week approached Wyre Forest District Council with a planning application regarding the former premises of carpet maker Brintons, located in Kidderminster town centre. Should the plans be given the green light by the local authority, the disused Grade II listed building will be restored and transformed into a 42,000 sq ft leisure complex.
Under the plans, around 20,000 sq ft of the property would be given over to retailers and restaurant operators as a means of diversifying Kidderminster’s consumer offering. An additional building will be constructed to create further space, allowing the development to be double-fronted with entrances located on both Riverside Walk and Exchange Street.
Site owner and local developer Max Goucher recently purchased the disused property, and hopes that this scheme will enjoy similar success to the recent Weavers Wharf project, also located in the town centre. Mr Goucher was a minor joint venture partner in this previous regeneration, and wishes to remain involved in the transformation of Kidderminster town centre.
He says; “I grew up in Kidderminster and the Brintons name is synonymous with the area.
“When I heard the site was for sale I immediately felt an affiliation for the location and wanted to bring this historical unused building to life again.”
Should Wyre Forest District Council grant planning approval – a decision which is not expected to be made until later in the summer – it is feasible that the regeneration project could get off the ground by the end of the year. Although no predicted completion date has yet been released the scheme could be ready to welcome visitors as early as Christmas 2015 based on the timescales of similar projects.
Cabinet member for planning and economic regeneration at Wyre Forest District Council, Councillor John Campion, hinted that the plans would be well received by the local authority.
He said; “The district council has exciting plans to transform the public realm in Kidderminster during the course of the next year that will see improved spaces from Exchange Street through to the Bull Ring and High Street and we welcome proposals that will bring that vision to life.”
This year has seen numerous projects of this type spring up across the UK, creating prosperity in the field of construction and providing space for retailers and leisure firms seeking expansion. Hopefully, the Brintons project will allow Kidderminster to enjoy its share of the spoils in this era of business confidence.
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