Shopping centre's partial demolition to be decided

Plans to demolish a section of a shopping centre in Loughborough are set to be decided.

Charnwood Borough Council's planning committee has been recommended by officers to approve a planning application on Thursday from Leicester Commercial Limited to knock down part of Carillon Court.

Documents submitted by the applicant said the proposed demolition would provide a "clean, tidy, cleared site ready for future redevelopment".

A report prepared for councillors said a number of previous applications for prior approval to demolish sections of the site had been refused.

In the planning application, the developer submitted an image of the shopping centre from Angel Row, and said it was seeking permission for the demolition of the brick-faced building to the point that it meets the building comprising the car park.

The arch structure and buildings above would be retained, using existing supporting columns, it added.

"The ultimate intention for Carillon Court includes its redevelopment for a mixed-use scheme.

"The proposed development seeks the demolition of a limited number of the existing vacant units to provide a clean, tidy, cleared site ready for future redevelopment," a report submitted by the applicant adds.

According to a report by the borough council, the proposed demolition related to units 12, 25, 26, 27, and 28A of the shopping centre and the empty single storey unit next to unit 12, which do not have the car park above.

It said the proposal related "solely to the small-scale demolition of a limited number" of empty units that "did not contribute" to town centre vitality or footfall.

The report states "concerns" had been raised regarding the absence of an approved redevelopment scheme for the site.

However, it added the demolition of empty units "would not prevent the continued operation" of the rest of the shopping centre nor "prejudice potential future redevelopment" of the site as a whole.

Council documents also state the authority was "aware of ongoing issues" relating to anti-social behaviour and the accumulation of refuse in and around Carillon Court.

It said following the proposed demolition the site would need to be "appropriately secured" by fencing.

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