First new unit in a decade to be built at Corby's Phoenix Parkway retail park

The owners of Corby's Phoenix Parkway retail park are set to build a new two-storey unit at the shopping centre.

The site, which is fully-let, is popular among shoppers from across Corby as well as out of town. It already houses popular high-street names including Matalan, The Range, Next, Boots and Superdrug. The M&S store, which opened in November 2016, has grown in popularity and is now thought to be one of the best-used in the region.

Peel Investment Properties Ltd have been granted permission to build the new unit on 15 under-used car parking spaces between M&S and the exit road.

No start date is yet known for the work and planning documents say that no tenant has yet signed-up to trade from the unit, but planning documents say that the building of a new unit is a response to 'tenant interest'.

The ASDA store was first given planning permission 1984 after the beating heart of the steelworks was demolished on the same site. More units were put up in 2001 and then a further unit housing Next was converted from the Focus DIY store a decade ago.

The latest shop will have a floorspace of 948 square metres, which includes a ground floor and a mezzanine floor.

A design statement from the applicant says: "Corby Retail Park is an existing retail location for which the owner of the retail park has identified a market requirement for additional floorspace.

"This would represent investment into Corby, provide a further attraction at the retail park, while increasing expenditure which would have positive knock-on effects.

"The development responds directly to tenant interest and although a tenant cannot be named we are aware of likely requirements for a store in Corby in this location."