Category Archives: Business

Shopping Centre redevelopment moves a step nearer

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Abbey Shopping Centre
In January 2010 the district council consulted on options for the Abbey Shopping Centre.
Abbey Shopping Centre
It was announced today that an agreement has been signed for a £53M redevelopment of the favoured option. According to the district council’s press release…

Proposals for the Charter area (starting around 2013) include:
* a new large supermarket
* a new decked car park of about 400 spaces
* other retail floor space
* a replacement library, day centre and medical centre potentially at first floor level.

Proposals for the Abbey Shopping Centre (starting around Jan 2012) include:
* improving the choice and range of shop unit sizes by converting and combining some of the existing units into larger stores
* creating a new unit of 4,500 sq.ft. and another one of 2,000 sq.ft, both with first floor sales areas
* creating a more attractive street area by alternating roof heights and removing the existing canopies
* repaving and replacing street furniture, lighting and signage in the shopping centre.

This comes hot on the heals of an agreement to double the size of the Orchard Centre in Didcot at a cost of £125M.  The two district councils involved (Vale of White Horse for Abingdon and South Oxfordshire for Didcot) have shared executive staff so they  must have been busy.

Facsimile Shops

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Facsimile Shops
On the front of the hoarding by the County Hall have appeared facsimile pictures of the shops behind. This is the town council supporting the shops during the building work.
Facsimile Shops
See! They are still there. If you thought they had all vanished.

Work on old Post Office begins

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Old Post Office
Looks like work has started on the former Post Office. There were plans to turn part of it into flats, and presumably the bottom would be retail or catering.
Old Post Office
Not much to see behind the whited windows and the circus posters, that I can make out, apart from some roof supports. Somebody commented a couple of days back that it might be a Wetherspoon. The Herald are even running a poll asking “Would you plan to convert the former post office in High Street, Abingdon, into a branch of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain?”

Wetherspoons tried, and failed to acquire the building Ask are now in. That was some years ago. Back then the Wetherspoons planning application was turned down. Pubs – most owned by Greene King – did lobby against.