Shopowners fear £20 million development will take away their trade (From Gazette)

Shopowners fear £20 million development will take away their trade

9:12am Wednesday 8th September 2010 in

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A new £20 million retail park planned for Maldon could threaten the town’s High Street trade, small businesses have claimed.

Some retailers in the centre of Maldon are concerned that Aquila Maldon’s plans for a 10,000 square metre retail park on the Blackwater Trading Estate will lead to shoppers abandoning small traders and avoiding High Street.

Last month, the developers behind the project claimed that Halfords, B&Q and Homebase had all shown an interest in the project, which will include a DIY store, hotel and restaurant on the trading estate.

Alan Richardson, owner of the Riverside Cycle Centre in High Street, Maldon, said: “I think it will kill High Street."

FOR THE FULL STORY, SEE THIS WEEK'S MALDON AND BURNHAM STANDARD