New date for delayed designer outlet opening

Developers behind a luxury retail park say they have signed leases for more than two thirds of units, despite nearby residents claiming there has been no construction work on the site for more than a year.

Scotch Corner Designer Village in North Yorkshire, which gained planning permission in 2016, said it was working towards a March 2026 opening date.

In 2020, developers said they were expecting it to launch in autumn 2023 but this was moved back to September 2024.

Richmondshire councillor Angus Thompson said he had regularly contacted the developer for an update and had been told work was due to restart on the site at the end of June.

He said: "There has to be an upgrade to Scotch Corner roundabout before the development can work.

"The roundabout doesn't cope with the volume of traffic at busy times now and it's going to be a 30% or 40% increase in traffic."

Resident Neale Brewster, who lives in Richmond, said he drove past the site every day and had not seen any work taking place for more than 18 months.

"The development started prior to Covid and over the last couple of years they have not done a lot," he said.

"Nobody has been anywhere near the site, it's just been one person on site most days.

"Everything seems to have ground to a halt."

Mr Brewster said he had worked in the construction industry for 35 years and would be amazed if the development was completed by March 2026.

"It's an eyesore. It's frustrating because it could be a good source of local jobs," he added.

Marketing director of the development Patrick Hanson-Lowe said they had filled 72% of leases and were keen to "bring premium retailers" to the site.

"We have the groundwork done to ground level and above ground it is about half built. But we have paused to focus on retail," he added.

"The internal walls on a development like this are moveable, and a retailer may come in and ask for it be different, so we have to be careful we don't overly build it."

Thompson said he believed a decision on the National Highways A66 dual carriageway upgrade would dictate progress.

A spokesperson for Scotch Corner Designer Village said it would have "absolutely no impact whatsoever" and the company had begun the lease process, and applied for planning permissions "long before the A66 upgrade project began".

North Yorkshire Council was contacted for comment.

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