A PLANNING application has now been submitted for the creation of the Beehive Business Park on the A590 in Ulverston.

The project will see the arrival of an M&S Food Hall and Aldi store in Ulverston alongside commercial units and offices, which together will deliver around 300 jobs. It will be built adjacent to the new Blue Light Hub which will house police, fire and ambulance emergency services.

Public consultation on the project was held in September and the developer Rawdon Property Group Ltd has now finalised the plans which have been submitted by HOW Planning for approval by South Lakeland District Council.

The application states that the project on land south of the A590 will involve the erection of employment units, two retail food stores, a veterinary practice and the creation of new internal roads and car parking areas. There will be hard and soft landscaping and boundary treatments.

Non-retail businesses seeking to move into the purpose-built commercial units may include Lake District Farmers, which wants to relocate its high-quality meat processing hub back to Furness from its current base in Tebay, and Ulverston-based engineering consultancy Furness Engineering and Technology Ltd (FETL). It aims to move from its current base at Ellers Mill.

If the plans are approved, other businesses which will be based on the site include a solicitors’ practice, vet’s surgery and an insurance office.

Rawdon Property Group Director Brian Scott said: “The plans prioritise the job creation objectives of the planning designation for the site, but the development would not be viable without the retail stores.

"Feedback from the public consultation indicated that many residents would welcome the arrival of an M&S Food Hall and Aldi store to the town.

“Our research suggests the new stores would encourage local people to do more of their shopping in Ulverston, instead of travelling to Barrow or Kendal. Retaining those shoppers must be good for the future of the town, especially when placed alongside the delivery of around 300 jobs.”

The M&S Food Hall and Aldi store could together create more than 100 full and part-time jobs (the equivalent of 70 full time jobs). Combined with almost 50 jobs at the Blue Light Hub itself and the other employment opportunities, the development could see more than 300 workers based at the Beehive.

Full details of the scheme are on the SLDC planning website under application number SL/2017/1031. The reference also links to a full list of groups and organisations which will be consulted, and an on-line form to comment on the plans Alternatively, local people can comment in writing to the case officer Kate Lawson.

The Beehive Business Park plan is scheduled to be considered at the meeting of the SLDC Planning Committee in February 2018.