NO SAINSBURY’S at Cross Hands – but site developers Conygar obtained permission yesterday (Aug 18) to go ahead with a food store, five shops, two ‘retail pods’, a drivethrough coffee shop and a family pub and restaurant, on 4.48 hectares of a former mineral spoil tip sandwiched between the A48, the A476 and Cefneithin village.
Carmarthenshire’s planning committee voted to approve the plan, with 14 members in favour, one against, and two abstaining.
Sainsbury’s had permission for a food store of 90,792 square feet (8,435 square metres) gross, a six-pump filling station and 495 parking spaces, but backed out of the scheme in autumn 2015, citing changed shopping habits, and sold the site, labelled Cross Hands West, to The Conygar Investment Co plc.
The Sainsbury’s plan had been the lynchpin of an intended major redevelopment including a community health centre, care home, housing and improvements to the adjacent Maes y Gwendraeth comprehensive school.
The new approval is for a wholly commercial scheme, which at present lacks a named tenant for the largest unit, a convenience store of 2,150 square metres gross, which is only a quarter the size of the store planned by Sainsbury’s. In total, the new retail space would be almost 9,265 square metres, and could include a frozen food store, a premium food store, and shops selling other merchandise.
According to John Thomas, the planning officer dealing with the application, the Aldi store opposite the site is achieving sales nearly three times larger than for an average store the same size, indicating that there would be plenty of custom for additional shops.
Aldi’s presence over the road is a potential problem. The committee heard that Lidl, the UK’s other main convenience discounter, would not want to be on a less accessible site so close, but would prefer to be adjacent to Leeke’s department store on Cross Hands Business Park, off the far side of the notorious roundabout at the junction of the A48 and the A476.
Cllr Terry Davies (Lab, Gorslas) called the roundabout “horrific” and said it must be among the worse in Wales, if not the UK. He insisted that his concerns be minuted. Planning Officer John Thomas said, though, that neither the council’s highways department, nor the South Wales Trunk Road Agency, had raised concerns about the roundabout.
The head of engineering consultancy SGi Shepherd Gilmour says the go-ahead to create a major retail park has provided a much-needed ‘post-Brexit boost’.
The Manchester-based civil, structural and environmental engineering outfit were integral in the planning and engineering design for a scheme in south west Wales which will include 10 units, a variety of shops a pub, restaurant and a 521-space car park.
According to developers Conygar, the development will create 260 full time jobs, with more than 100 during the construction phase.
Manchester’s SGi Shepherd Gilmour prepared pre-planning reports along with the full engineering design for the 106,000 sq ft of retail space which is to be spread across ten units. Axis Planning consultants from Wilmslow acted as Planning advisors and the Architects for the scheme is Fletcher Rae from Manchester.
SGi Shepherd Gilmour were also responsible for the design of the already completed roads and drainage systems which will serve the development inCarmarthenshire.
The company also designed the stabilisation of a 90m deep coal mine onsite and managed the relocation of 200,000 tonnes of material to create a brand new playing field for the nearby school.
Emyr Jones, owner and managing director of SGi Shepherd Gilmour, said he was delighted that Carmarthenshire County Council gave permission for Conygar to develop the land at Cross Hands West.
He said: “We started work as the engineers and consultants on Cross Hands Retail Park seven years ago so we’re delighted it’s now been given the go ahead.
“As a Manchester based company we love working in the North West and it’s also great to work with clients throughout the UK.
Cross Hands will provide a Post- Brexit boost to the industry and it’s great to see another project SGi Shepherd Gilmour worked hard on come to fruition.”
SGi Shepherd Gilmour also managed the Japanese Knotweed treatment on the site, which was contained and buried beneath the nearby sports pitches.
The scheme has other links to the North West, with Alderley Edge-based property and investment company, Metier Group originally developing the project.
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