news / press
20 April 2011
Planning approval granted for new Morrisons in Houghton Regis
A joint venture between ispace and Dransfield Properties for a new £15m town centre food store has been given the go-ahead. Planning approval has been granted for the 53,000sq ft Morrisons store with all committee members voting in favour of the project which is set to bring 290 new jobs to the area. It also marks the first project which ispace is carrying out in partnership with supermarket giant Morrisons.
Public consultation carried out by ispace showed that residents of Houghton Regis were travelling long distances for their weekly shopping and demonstrated a clear need for a local food store. The new Morrisons will offer residents convenience whilst also saving travelling time and fuel costs whilst helping to regenerate the town centre.
ispace has had interest in the site since the summer of 2009 and the project team has been working closely with the local highways department and Houghton Regis Lower School to undertake traffic calming on the main road. It has also funded a lollipop lady to help ensure the children can get to school safely.
Simon Dixon of ispace says: "We are delighted to be working with a great Yorkshire brand like Morrisons. As a business they've enjoyed great success and we share many of their values. The projects we are currently working on with lead to a significant number of new jobs for local people and it's great to see a company helping to get young people into work with such a fantastic apprenticeship scheme. We look forward to working with the Morrisons team going forward."
Work on the site is due to start in the last quarter of 2011.
