Eastern High Street Group

Site location

The Argos site is presently vacant but has a limited frontage to the High Street beyond the vehicle access. It does currently back onto Northway.

The Poundland building presents a strong historic frontage, but has been decorated in colours not suited to the Conservation Area character. At the time of writing the future of individual Poundland stores within the chain is not certain.

The Lidl building is set back from the High Street and fails to engage or provide frontage.

Site location plan – click to enlarge

Existing sites

The three sites have been in various uses over the years, including homes set back from the street, and in the case of the Argos site a shoe factory.

All the sites have their own car park and access from the street, and unusually for the UK feature arrangements where drivers drive on the right-hand side of the access road, responding to the direction of the traffic on the High Street which is one-way.

The sites all slope up and away from the High Street and engage with the back fences of older residential development to the rear, with the exception of the Lidl site where recently built new homes are to the north east on the site of a former factory.

Photographs – click to enlarge

Opportunities

The High Street East group comprises three sites which may present opportunities in the future including a combination of town centre homes and an improved High Street frontage with active town centre uses where it is currently lacking. At this stage, we are not progressing any development; rather, we are working to ensure that if proposals do come forward, they deliver the best possible outcomes for the High Street and support its long-term vitality.

Although the sites are in separate ownership and may come forward at different times, it’s important to establish a coordinated framework that ensures any future development is well-integrated — both with each other and with the wider town centre. This approach helps protect the interests of existing businesses and residents while setting a clear vision for high-quality outcomes should change occur.

Establish a framework for development which allows for coordinated but independent development across the three sites.

Retain and refurbish the historic building on the street frontage of the Poundland site.

Establish new High Street frontage with active town centre uses on the Lidl and Poundland sites including the option to explore a range of building scales.

Develop a range of houses and flats on land to the rear of the High Street.

Deliver an east-west walking and cycling connection between Northway and the High Street, linking on towards the existing pedestrian lane connecting to Somer Court.

Massing model – click to enlarge