New decision date set for Marks & Spencer Foodhall to open at busy Northampton retail park

Plans for a M&S Foodhall at Riverside Retail Park recently moved closer to a decision after a council-commissioned report said the scheme is “unlikely to have a significant adverse impact” on nearby shopping centres.

A decision was initially expected in October 2024, then delayed to July 2025. WNC then set a new target date of February 27, 2026. WNC has now said the application will be decided on at a planning committee meeting on Thursday, March 19.

The proposals, first submitted by Riverside Retail Ltd back in May 2024, would see part of the former Homebase unit redeveloped to allow M&S to open alongside a recently opened Wickes store.

Will Smith, M&S’ property director, said in 2024: “This site in Northampton would make a fantastic location for an M&S Foodhall, creating 70 jobs. The show-stopping store would be one of the most modern in the UK, offering local shoppers a fresh market-style Foodhall with an in-store bakery, flower shop, wine shop, card and wrap shop, M&S’s signature cheese bar, click & collect facilities, and interactive features.”

However, the development has faced objections from Tesco, which runs the nearby store at Weston Favell, and there have also been concerns from the council’s highways department over traffic levels.

In its latest advice to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), Nexus Planning said the application had to be tested against alternative locations and its impact on existing centres.

The report said the former Sainsbury’s unit at the Grosvenor Centre was the main alternative site but concluded it could be ruled out. Nexus said there were “difficulties in remodelling the unit” and that the building’s future availability was uncertain.

Looking at the wider impact, the report said it did not believe the scheme would cause major damage to shopping areas. It stated that the proposal was “not likely to have a significant adverse impact upon the health of, or investment within, any nearby defined town centres”.

However, Nexus did acknowledge some impact closer to the site. The report said Weston Favell district centre was likely to lose “around twice as much” trade as the applicant had suggested, adding that this would need to be taken into account by the council.

Despite this, the report concluded that the impact would not be severe, saying there would be “no significant adverse impact upon Weston Favell or any other defined town centre”.

Overall, the report said the M&S Foodhall could comply with planning policy and recommended that, if approved, limits should be placed on the size of the store and the types of goods it is allowed to sell.

In terms of traffic concerns, a study has been carried out by TTP Consulting on behalf of WNC which says the development ‘can be accommodated without changes to existing access roads or parking’ and ‘would not cause unacceptable disruption to the surrounding road network’.

TTP Consulting said: “The proposals associated with the proposed development … are considered acceptable in highways and transport terms.”

Over 100 members of the public have submitted letters of support for the opening of the store.