Queensgate shopping centre, United Kingdom

The Queensgate shopping centre is located in the centre of the UK city of Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire. It contains over 100 stores and parking for 2,300 cars in four onsite multi-storey car parks. Queensgate bus station is located within the shopping centre and only a short walk from Peterborough railway station.[1] Peterborough Shop Mobility provide wheelchairs and electric scooters to help those with limited mobility.[2] The Centre was opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands on 9 March 1982.[1]

Queensgate shopping centre
LocationPeterborough,
Cambs. PE1 1NT
Coordinates52.574°N 0.244°W / 52.574; -0.244
DeveloperJones Lang LaSalle (JLL)
ManagementLend Lease
OwnerInvesco Real Estate
No. of stores and services105
Total retail floor area804,000 square feet (74,700 m2)
No. of floors2 soon to be 3
Parking2,300 spaces
Public transit accessQueensgate bus station
Websitequeensgate-shopping.co.uk

History

Peterborough was designated a new town in 1967[3] and the Peterborough Development Corporation decided to construct a new purpose-built shopping centre in the heart of the city.[4] Planning permission was received in the late summer of 1976 and in November the retaler John Lewis Partnership announced that it had agreed to be the anchor shop in the new development. The opening of John Lewis store in Peterborough marked the company's return to the city after an absence of over twenty-five years.[5]

Queensgate viewed from the top of Peterborough Cathedral
North Square, Queensgate shopping centre in July 2017

In 2005, Hammerson plc acquired a 50% interest in the freehold of Queensgate from Norwich Union Life and Pensions for £156 million.[6] Plans were drawn up for a 646,000 square foot (60,000 m²) mixed-use development adjacent to the existing shopping centre, to be known as the North Westgate Project. If completed, the combined scheme would have formed a single 1,450,000 square feet (135,000 m²) shopping center.[7] Plans for the development were shelved in the wake of the 2008 recession.

In 2011, a £20 million revamp to Queensgate was undertaken, which included the clothing retailer Primark taking over several units and an extension to replace the units taken over. Changes to the car park removed references to local historical figures (Edith Cavell, Frank Perkins, Henry Royce and John Clare) in favour of a colour-coded system,[8] but these were subsequently reinstated and paired with the new colour system.[9]

Paten Bridge, which crosses Bourges Boulevard (the A15), links Queensgate to the station quarter,[10] which includes a new full sized Waitrose supermarket with a coffeeshop and restaurant, built on the site of the former Royal Mail sorting office in 2014.[11][12] In 2018 some areas were re-paved and a number of shop fronts were updated. There has been discussion of covering the entire street with a glass roof, but the plans have not been finalised.[13][14][13]

In 2015, a detailed planning application for a £30 million enhancement of the centre was submitted to Peterborough City Council by new owners Invesco and its managers Lendlease.[14] The plan was to create a 77,000 square feet (7,153 m²) extension in partnership with John Lewis, including a restaurant hub and a multi-screen digital cinema. Planning permission has been granted and work is scheduled to start in 2019; tenders for the cinema and the food hall have been allocated.[15]

Radio stations

Independent local radio stations, Heart Cambridgeshire and Gold Peterborough, formerly Hereward FM and sister station WGMS, have broadcast from studios at Queensgate since moving from Lower Bridge Street in 1987. Queensgate advertises on Heart with the jingle, the capital city of shopping.

Transport

Queensgate bus station is located within the shopping centre and is a short walk from Peterborough railway station, a major interchange on the East Coast Main Line.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Peterborough City Council". Peterborough City Council. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  2. Peterborough Shopmobility Archived 27 December 2005 at the Wayback Machine Peterborough City Council (retrieved 11 January 2008)
  3. The Peterborough New Town (Designation) Order 1967, see the London Gazette (Issue 44377) published 1 August 1967
  4. Hancock, Tom Greater Peterborough Master Plan Peterborough Development Corporation, 1971
  5. "Building of the Queensgate Centre | The Partnership's second go at Peterborough | Peterborough | Branches O-R | Branch finder | John Lewis Memory Store". www.johnlewismemorystore.org.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  6. Hammerson Acquires Interest in Queensgate Shopping Centre, Peterborough Archived 15 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Hammerson, Press Release, 17 November 2005
  7. Development Agreement for North Westgate, Peterborough Archived 15 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Hammerson, Press Release, 14 February 2006.
  8. Peterborough car parks drop names of historic figures BBC News, 1 November 2011
  9. "Openingtime.co.uk - Opening times & Sunday opening for shops". www.openingtime.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  10. Grinnell, Paul Ambitious plans to transform Peterborough city centre Peterborough Telegraph, 28 November 2013
  11. Grinnell, Paul Waitrose to build multi-million pound store in Peterborough Peterborough Telegraph, 26 November 2013
  12. Lamy, Joel New multi-million pound Waitrose store ready for business Peterborough Telegraph, 29 October 2014
  13. "The North Westgate Story – The New Listener". www.newlistener.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  14. Grinnell, Paul North Westgate plans to be unveiled within next 12 months Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 7 March 2011
  15. "Queensgate cinema expansion to get going in 2017 as North Westgate redevelopment heads back to drawing board". www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2017.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.