Crystal Investment Group believes plans will bring The George Shopping Centre in Grantham 'into the 21st century'
An investment group believes its proposed plans will bring a Grantham shopping centre “into the 21st century”, as well as restore its historic value to the town.
Crystal Investment Group Ltd has submitted plans to South Kesteven District Council to remove the glazed roof in the George Shopping Centre.
The proposed plans will promote “significant investment easing the building’s maintenance and increasing his future lifespan,” the plan states.
Daniel Abraham, senior asset management at Crystal Investment, said: “The issue with the George Centre is it’s been empty for a while, and we’ve had lots of interest in taking up units and some people have refrained because of the restricted working hours.
“We need to do something that attracts them.
“One aspect of the plan is we want longer hours for the tenants. Due to the atrium roof, they have to shut up the centre at a certain time and they cannot run it 24/7.
"The system at the moment isn't feasible with rising energy costs. There are many mechanisms within the roof that keeps it running and that costs thousands of pounds."
"We also want to introduce a leisure circuit that will include a number of leisure businesses like restaurants. At the moment, these can only be at the entrance which is pretty much full up.
"For leisure businesses, the majority of their trade is in the evening so by removing the glazed roof allows them to trade for longer hours.
“We’ve had lots of interest from leisure businesses and some of the existing tenants have voiced concerns that they want to trader for longer hours.
“It will bring costs down for the centre going forward and will be cost effective for tenants going forward.”
Crystal Investment Group have discussed these plans with Conception Architects, the agents acting on behalf of them, South Kesteven District Council and Historic England, and they “all agree if we put in a planning application that remove the roof, we will get the skylight back which will be great for this historic place,” Daniel added.
Proposals within the plans, alongside the removal of the glazed roof, will see the removal of unit 15 - the site of Hippy Bohobell - and also the centre's escalator.
The owners of Hippy Bohobell are devastated at the news that their shop will close.
They will also install a new drainage system into the ground and first level flooring.
The steel columns, steel lamps and sign hangers, the roof steel structure and glazing will also be removed.
The plans also propose to shorten and waterproof the central steel columns, as well as waterproofing other elements of the building.
Daniel added: “No other businesses are affected except unit 15.
“Anyone that has been affected, we would look to give them the opportunity to relocate in the centre.
“If at the end of the day the costs will be too much to maintain, then we need to think of a scheme that will not only value one but value a group.
“We like to see people do well but one has to understand that we will try to work with not only one but anyone else who has concerns.
“But, we cannot stop that and it will benefit the centre.”
The proposed plans will be completed in three phases.
The first phase will see the removal of the glazed roof, and this will be followed by phase two which is to implement a leisure circuit within the centre.
The third and final phase will see if they are able to build residential properties on the old site of the former George Hotel, which closed in 1989. This work will not affect the current tenants.
Daniel, added: "The phased development we are already working on and we are working with architects.
"We are going to convert the old George Hotel into residential apartments.
"We've had some short term tenants there but it's largely empty and by converting them into these, we think we will get a successful number of apartments, which the authorities think is needed."
