Home Bargain hoping to move to Hattersley Centre

Sep 20 2012 by Jamie Bowman, Ormskirk Advertiser

AN ORMSKIRK retail park is hoping to overturn restrictions which currently limit the range of goods its shops can sell.

The Hattersley Centre, on Burscough Road, has made the move after discount retailer Home Bargains expressed an interest in moving into one of the units which currently stand empty in the struggling shopping centre.

Home Bargains is looking to expand its current operation within Ormskirk and plans to leave its current site on Moor Lane in the town centre.

Built in 2008, the Hattersley Centre has never been fully occupied, with the types of retailers which can locate at the Centre restricted by planning conditions which only allow retailers to sell DIY goods, furnishings, beds, electrical goods and furniture and floor coverings.

Earlier this year, plans for an Asda store to move into the retail park were thrown out with the council focusing on the proposal’s potential impact on the town’s viability.

Defending the decision to refuse the application, the council’s representatives, said the proposed development would draw significant trade from town retailers.

They also felt that the proposal did not fit within the development plan, as – according to planning guidance for the Hattersley site – food retail was not considered an appropriate use.

Developers argued that the new store would help save the failing retail park, and bring economic benefits and improved choice and competition to the town, without causing any significant adverse impact.

Local residents have continued to raise concerns about an increase in traffic, as well as expressing fears over noise, dirt and light pollution.