Developer New River Retail hopes to bring a multiplex cinema, numerous retail and restaurant outlets and several residential units to Burgess Hill in Sussex through a mixed-use complex partly on the site of the existing Martlets shopping centre.
New River Retail first acquired The Martlets in 2010, and since then has put forward a number of proposals regarding a potential modernisation for public consultation. The latest would see the western part of the centre demolished entirely, along with the adjoining multi-storey car park, a library building and the Martlets Hall to create space for newer, more modern facilities.
According to New River Retail, the regeneration of the town centre is necessary as a means of encouraging consumers to shop locally rather than travelling to nearby cities – it believes the “outdated” 1970s architecture and lack of modern stores currently puts off the local consumer pool.
It said; “The Martlets has lost some relevance in the natural circulation of the town, as it has a rather indirect link with Market Place and a limited presence on Church Street.
“The objective will be to stem the loss of consumer spending to other competing centres such as Brighton, Crawley and Haywards Heath.”
The developer intends to submit a planning application for the redevelopment by the end of this year, which it hopes will gain approval early next year. If all goes to plan, the ensuing development project will be split into three phases, the first of which will begin in 2015.
Phase one will see the removal of shop canopies in the town centre, along with the construction of a larger Argos store and the relocation of the current Lidl into a new, 15,000 sq ft property in the current Wolstonbury Way car park. This is the smallest aspect of the redevelopment and will be completed midway through 2016.
The second phase, which would begin in September 2016, would see numerous retail units, a 63 bedroom hotel, 150 new homes, a multi-storey car park and a new library and community centre constructed, along with a new public boulevard and public square. This phase is expected to take around two years to complete.
Finally, phase three would see a further range of retail units constructed on the current Martlets Heights office block site, on top of which would be the eight screen cinema. This would take around 18 months, meaning the full redevelopment project would be completed in time for the Christmas trading period in 2019.
Although the plans have received a mixed reaction so far, New River Retail is optimistic that planning approval will be granted next year.
