PLANS TO refurbish Peach Place in Wokingham has now been extended into the former Marks and Spencer store on Peach Street, the council announced today.

The Wokingham Borough Council made the announcement earlier today, November 9, stating the former food shop is set to be converted into two retail units and a gym, with the first floor being converted into offices with terraced gardens.

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Cllr Charlotte Haitham Taylor, executive member for regeneration, said: “I’m really pleased to be submitting plans for the refurbishment of this town centre building and the council continues to invest in our borough.

“This building is an important part of Wokingham town centre and it has been crying out for improvement for many years.

"This is a real opportunity to not only enhance the look of the town centre by replacing the 1960s shop front, but also help reinforce footfall by introducing new shops, offices and a gym.

Refurbishment plans also include improvements on the original Dutch gable, as well as repairs to shop fronts and entrances.

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Cllr Haitham Taylor continued: “When we bought the site in 2017 we decided to separate it out from the other regeneration projects to focus our efforts on delivering Peach Place and Elms Field.

"We also wanted time to work up the right designs for this site as it was important that the plans would work well with Peach Street, where we want the focus to remain on retail and business, and with Peach Place where the focus is more on leisure and entertainment around the new square.

“Over the past few decades the demand for giant retail boxes like this existing building this has changed, with many across the country lying empty for years.

"By breaking it down into more useable units and bringing in new uses, we aim to give the site a new lease of life for years to come.

“We’ve been pleased to work with Forces Support as a temporary tenant for the past couple of years.

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"It was a great opportunity for them to take on a short term let in the town and raise money for a good cause.

"We were keen that the unit didn’t remain empty whilst we looked at options for the site, especially as it was the only through access to the Rose Street car park until we reopened the Peach Place square.”

Public consultation on the planning application remains open until November 26. For more information, visit news.wokingham.gov.uk/news/.