Fears proposed B&M store could 'suck the life out of town centre'

Plans have this week been registered with Allerdale council for a B&M Homestore on land behind Lakes Home Centre on Low Road.

It comes days after bosses at Lakes Home Centre submitted an application to expand the range of goods it sells.

But town centre traders fear the changes could be one blow too many for independent traders.

Opus Land North (Cockermouth) Ltd, part of property company Opus North, wants to build the new B&M Homestore on the site of a former timber yard and saw mill.

It wants permission for the store to stock non-food retail items, with an external garden centre included in the plans.

Previous plans for a foodstore and a non-food retails development on the site were turned down by Allerdale council's development panel in 2016 amid concerns that industrial employment land would be lost.

The new plans, which do not include a foodstore, include a separate unit to be built alongside the store for business, general industrial or storage and distribution use.

The application follows a presentation to members of Allerdale council's development panel in November.

In a report to planners, Opus North said most of the town's spending on goods other than food and other convenience products was currently done outside Cockermouth.

It said a study has suggested a total turnover on such goods in the town centre of £27.5m in 2018 and estimated that the planned development would divert £0.88m of trade from the town centre.

It added: "Cockermouth town centre is a vital and viable town centre. We do not consider the levels of trading impact identified above would give rise to concerns regarding the future vitality and viability of the town centre."

Last week Lakes Home Centre bosses revealed they had applied to expand the range of goods it sells to allow it to compete with the proposed development.

Managing director Patrick Lister said: "Now we have the thought of a B&M Home Store and garden centre coming next door, doing exactly what we do, we think it's only fair we should be able to have a more level playing field."

But traders fear B&M and an expanded range at Lakes Home Centre would drive away more town centre trade.

Jonty Chippendale, of The Toy Shop, said: "An out-of-town retail park will suck the life out of our town centre shops.

"The town centre has survived two floods, months of roadworks and a period of austerity that's made trading very hard for everybody. It's a fragile town centre and anything that risks it is bad thing."

Cockermouth and District Chamber of Trade is planning a meeting for businesses to discuss the latest proposals.

A spokesman said: "Opus and B&M have made no attempt to engage with the people this will have a real impact on.

"There are genuine concerns about the impact this development will have. Cockermouth has a unique offer in West Cumbria – very special independent shops and eateries and very few high street chains.

“Traders aren’t put off by competition, but if a giant like B&M comes in on this site, it’s unfair competition. They would duplicate products sold elsewhere in town, with free car parking, in a location just too far away from the town centre for people to walk in.

“It may create jobs but the majority are likely to be low-paid and limited-hours. There’s no guarantee of who will take on the proposed business unit – if it is ever even built – so potential for additional employment cannot be factored in as a positive.

“The application claims the existing supermarkets are overtrading on the sale of food, but the same document says B&M don’t focus on food – that’s just a sideline. So what does that mean for the independent businesses selling those other goods in Cockermouth?

“The report says £0.88million of trade will be diverted from the town centre. That doesn’t take into account how trade has been hit by two recent floods, or the potential for more disruption. We fear this could be too big a loss for many of our businesses to endure.”