Plans for new M&S Foodhall at busy retail park in Northampton APPROVED
Plans for a new M&S Foodhall at a busy retail park in Northampton have been approved.
The plans, submitted by Riverside Retail Ltd, would see part of the former Homebase unit at Riverside Retail Park redeveloped so M&S can open a Foodhall alongside the recently opened Wickes store.
The project has faced delays since plans were first submitted in May 2024. The main issues included traffic concerns and an objection from Tesco, which operates a supermarket in the nearby Weston Favell Shopping Centre.
However, after 22 months, the decision was approved at a West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) planning committee meeting on Thursday March 19.
Speaking at the meeting, Phil Marsden, Town Planning Manager at Marks & Spencer, outlined the benefits of the proposal.
He said: “This application will enable us to open a modern, fit for the future M&S food hall at Riverside Retail Park. The food hall will have a net sales area of approximately 16,000 square feet, which will allow us to stock our full food product range, including planned kitchen and nutrient dense ranges.
“The food hall will include an in-store bakery, our famous cheese barge, and a click and collect point so customers can order items online and then collect them in-store.
“The proposed store will employ up to 70 colleagues, both full and part-time positions. M&S is well known for investing heavily in colleague training, career progression and overall wellbeing.”
He added: “The store will also help support local suppliers and British farmers… A stronger M&S business nationally means stronger order books for these local suppliers, so every shopping trip at this store will help sustain jobs well beyond the boundaries of the site.”
Mr Marsden also pointed to wider investment in the area, saying: “M&S believes in Northampton, as demonstrated by our recent announcement to open a £340 million food distribution centre… employing over 1,000 people when complete.”
Weston Favell and Abington Vale ward Tory councillor Stephen Hibbert also spoke in support of the application.
He said: “I’m here to support the application and I’m happy to see that it is indeed the officer’s recommendation. This will delight the public who are wholeheartedly behind this and can’t wait to buy their Percy Pigs. I’ve never understood Tesco’s objection.”
Addressing an objection raised by Tesco, the councillor added: “There are thousands of customers living within 500 yards of Tesco. I see them walking past my front door on a regular basis. They are not going to forsake them now.
“I doubt M&S will have much impact on Tesco’s daily shoppers but will provide a much-loved alternative and the kind of shopping experience that our residents lament the loss of when the town centre store closed.”
WNC planning officers previously said there was “overwhelming support” for the application, with more than 100 members of the public submitting letters backing the store.
The hold up on the plans was in part due to the single objection from Tesco, who said that the new M&S could affect footfall in other shopping areas. Tesco said the retailer should instead have considered the former Sainsbury’s unit in the Grosvenor Centre.
In response, a planning agent from Montagu Evans told the committee: “Although there will be some trade diverted from both Northampton town centre and other relevant centres, including Western Favell, this will not be at a level that will undermine the vitality and viability of any of those centres. Therefore, the impact test is passed.”
The committee also heard the former Sainsbury’s unit was assessed but ruled out as a suitable alternative location as it “is not a commercially viable opportunity for a food store of the type proposed in this day and age”.
He also addressed highways concerns, previously raised by WNC and National Highways, saying: “The solution is to introduce an intelligent signal timing system… to manage queues and signal timings that will benefit the users of Ferris Road as a whole, not just M&S shoppers.”
That upgrade would need to be completed before the store opens, according to planning papers.
A WNC planning officer previously said: “The scheme delivers clear economic benefits, including substantial job creation, new investment, and improved retail choice."