Capitol Centre, Preston20 July 2010

Presentation to Eastern Area Committee

Waitrose credentials• Waitrose is the food arm of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK’s largest

and oldest example of employee ownership

• Employees at each Waitrose store become Partners in the business ensuring a high level of commitment and service

• Branches offer over 2,000 locally and regionally sourced products: Forshaws Yogurts, Thwaites Brewery, Mawsons Cordials, Bartons Pickles and Joseph Holt Beers are just some of the producers in the region that already supply Waitrose

• The Company’s Community Matters scheme means each Waitrose branch gives away £1,000 every month to local charities and projects

• Waitrose was recently named favourite supermarket in customer satisfaction survey by consumer magazine, Which?

• Also named top Food & Grocery Retailer in a poll of 6,000 shoppers by retail analysts, Verdict Research

The Leisure and Retail Park

• Royal London Asset Management (RLAM) own both the Leisure and Retail Parks at Capitol Centre

• RLAM have been undertaking a major refurbishment programme at the Park over the past few years

• The refurbishment programme has successfully attracted new business to the Park

• Waitrose’s interest in this site represents an excellent opportunity to add vibrancy to the Park

Aerial Photograph of Capitol Centre Retail & Leisure Parks

The benefits

• Up to 200 jobs created for the local community

• Investment in the training and continuing development of employees

• Regeneration of the Tenpin unit, which is more than 20 years old

• The Council’s Local Plan supports a food supermarket at the Capitol Centre

• Retail Assessment, supporting the application, demonstrates no suitable alternative site in any shopping centre to accommodate the proposal

• Multi-million pound investment in the local economy

The benefits contd.

• The first Waitrose in Lancashire that will offer a full range of Waitrose products and services

• A quality food store which will enhance the choice, and improve competition, of shopping facilities in the area

• Linked shopping trips to existing shopping and leisure facilities in Capitol Retail Park

• Opportunities for local food and drink producers

• Retail Assessment demonstrates there will be no harmful effects on any established shopping centres

The store

• A flagship Waitrose food shop with a 2,787 sqm sales area

• Comparative sales areas of other food stores in the area:

– Tesco, Towngate, Leyland - 5,691sqm sales;

– Morrisons, Olympian Way, Leyland - 3,623sqm;

– Sainsbury’s, Cuerden Way, Bamber Bridge - 4,555sqm

• The proposed store will provide a full Waitrose food and drink offer.

Proposed scheme

Design• Conversion and refurbishment of the existing Tenpin Bowling building

• The design will enhance the existing building helping creating an attractive entrance to the Park, which will complement recent additions

• The front of the building will include a new glazed entrance lobby creating a light, vibrant vista into the branch

• New glazed canopy overhangs to the front of the building which will maximise the use of natural light

• Existing trees and green spaces around the store will be

retained and additional planting will take place

Proposed elevations

3D Image

Waitrose responsibilities

• Waitrose is a market leader in the sustainable development and operation of our branches

• All stores target a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment) ‘Excellent’ rating targeted wherever possible with ‘Very Good’ as a minimum

• Waitrose own Sustainable Construction Framework provides a checklist of sustainable targets including things from using certified timber to maintaining an area’s biodiversity

• The latest refrigeration technology will be fitted as part of the refurbishment

Access

Parking, Cycling and Pedestrians

• A 200 space car park for Waitrose shoppers

• Provision of disabled and parent and child spaces as well as 10 customer cycle loops in front of the store

• Car parking will remain free for all shoppers

• Waitrose operates a Green Travel Plan to encourage staff to use alternative ways to travel to work with initiatives including Liftshare, PartnerCycle, which enables staff to ‘hire’ bikes as a tax-free benefit and the provision of staff shower facilities

Access contd.

Highways

• An independent Transport Assessment (TA) has been carried out by Waterman Boreham

• The TA quantifies the pattern of existing food retail trips

• The TA demonstrates the scheme will cause no adverse traffic conditions on the adjoining highway network, and will provide safe access to the store

• Highway mitigation and impact measures have been agreed with the Highways Department (at LCC)

Highways plan (i)

Highways plan (ii)

Highways plan (iii)

Highways plan (iv)

Existing Proposed

Summary• Consumer choice and competition

• Replace outgoing Tenpin and immediate economic/sustainable reuse of existing building

• 200 new jobs

• No adverse effects on any shopping centre

• No more sequentially preferable sites

• Complements existing retail destination

• Good accessibility to all by range of modes of transport

• No adverse effects on highways; highway improvements

• Sustainable development in a sustainable location

Questions and answers

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