Delaying community investments will secure them for the town, Springfields has said after it applied to alter planning conditions for its expansion.
When the Spalding shopping centre’s application for 18 new units on the site of the NFU building was passed in October 2020, a condition was imposed that work had to start by February 2024.
Commencing the plans would also trigger some of the Section 106 agreements (the agreed community contributions) including £200,000 towards Spalding town centre improvements, the creation of a Springfields media-coordinator and advertising Spalding town centre there.
However, with the deadline looming, Springfields has now applied for alterations to the existing planning permission.
They include splitting the construction process into four phases.
The first phase, which would be completed by February 2024 to ensure the application doesn’t lapse, would be to create just two more car parking spaces in one of the existing car parks.
It’s also applied so that it wouldn’t have to deliver any Section 106 contributions until phases three and four, which refer to the demolition of the NFU building and construction work starting there respectively.
A spokesman said: “Springfields Outlet Shopping and Leisure have submitted an application to South Holland District Council to vary the wording of a number of the planning conditions attached to the original planning permission granted for the expansion of the centre back in 2021.
“The proposed amendments to the planning conditions would allow for a change in phasing of the permitted development to ensure the investment is secured and the benefits it would bring to the town would not be lost to the town and surrounding area.”
The leader of South Holland District Council Nick Worth said he ‘didn’t have a problem’ with the new application.
“I think when they put the original planning application in the economy was in a very different place.”
