Land Securities’ revised proposals for the West Village site at Bluewater have been given the green light by Dartford Council’s development control board. The proposals amend a scheme consented in 2013 for 330,000 sq ft of additional floorspace.
Under the new plans, drawn up by Leonard Design, the two-storey extension itself will be smaller than originally proposed but the additional floorspace will now be distributed around the existing site to allow key retailers to expand outwards, as Next did last year.
Before the scheme can proceed Land Securities will need to finalise Section 106 agreements that are likely to include payments to Dartford, Medway and Gravesham councils to mitigate any loss of trade in their town centres.
General manager Robert Goodman welcomed the decision and said: “The proposals to evolve Bluewater are important to ensure it continues to provide its guests with a comprehensive and compelling offer. Following the committee’s decision, our focus is now on working in partnership with our stakeholders on the detail of the proposals over the coming months.”
