ASDA Blantyre – Multi Million Pound Facelift

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IMG_3357Planning was lodged this week with South Lanarkshire Council for the proposed multi million pound facelift of ASDA Blantyre’s store and Glasgow Road frontage at Clydeview Shopping Centre.

With the entire demolition of the east side of Clydeview Shopping Centre proposed and rebuilding of 3 large state of the art retail units, the complex aims to attract many new retailers and finally resolve the problem of vacant units at this location.

The plans are ambitious and certainly look to be promising! We should all be aware that the existing western side of Clydeview Shopping Centre will be untouched, the existing remaining shops on the east to be relocated to the west. The new proposals have several existing new key features:

  • Demolition of the entire Eastern existing side of Clydeview Shopping Centre.
  • Demolition of the existing brick unused planters.
  • The 3 brand new units will form separate complexes and ability to walk around each of them, forming small shopping centres. Shops will not only face on to Glasgow Road, but also inwards towards the car park and indeed in between with large functional areas of hard landscaping. Usage has been suggested as hot and cold food and drink takeaways, other shops, a mix of service and professional office space.
  • The Petrol Station will see a welcome return to manned kiosk and small sales outlet with improved access in and out.
  • External improvements to the ASDA entrance and store.
  • Introduction of ‘click and collect’ lockers for people ordering shopping in advance.
  • Car Park alterations including new improved facilities for taxis.
  • More accesible spaces for disabled, child and parent cars.
  • Grassed landscaping wherever possible.

Alan Jones, Asda’s communication officer said, “Our proposals represent a multi million pound investment into Blantyre and will help enhance the vitality and visibility of the Centre. “

It is understood, these development proposals were brought forward after intervention by the people of Blantyre themselves. A petition started by local lady Amanda Dawson in 2016 attracted the attention of ASDA, something that others have been unable to do in recent decades.  The petition was then escalated to Blantyre Community Council, who se elected staff have been meeting monthly and working closely on this item with the renovation firmly on their agenda to progress.

The dated shops, constructed opened in 1981 and in recent years have only had an average occupancy of around 38%. In recent years, a lack of interest in the units has forced ASDA to rethink their property and how it gets let, resulting in this grand proposal.

Have your say. Do you have any concerns? Who’s looking forward to this part of Glasgow Road having some life about it again? What would you like to see at the new units, which appear to be capable of being subdivided into many smaller shops?

Featuring Blantyre Project Social Media with permission. Strictly not for use by others on or offline, our visitors said,:

James Hanly Much better looking than they horrible closed up shops facing Glasgow road.
Blantyre Project Agreed. It will look amazing being able to see several shops facing inwards into the car parks too. I’d love to see little local cafes there, with seats and tables outside in summer, twinkly lights through the landscaped trees. Buskers or live entertainment and music. I’d love to see a decent Italian Restaurant, shoe shop, clothes shops, and a community rentable space for classes of all sorts. Thats just what i’d like though, not whats coming…..
James Sime The closed shops could have been used if Asda didnt block / discourage new tenants. They are spending this money to give Blantyre less facilites than already there and we are supposed to be excited about this?
Orlando Ancilotti Stand by for McDonalds, KFC, Subway and Dominos.
Vicki Flynn McDonald’s
Vicki Flynn Some clothes shops
Mick Gordon £ shop.
Sylvia Mclaughlin Shoe shop
Edith Bulloch There was a shoe shop and it shut down.
Lesley Bethel A nice little Italian style coffee shop. Clothes shops. Clarks shoeshop
Natalie Ward This looks more like what is needed here. It’s sad and quite ‘depressing’ just now with so many units empty. Think new units facing the car park / being more accessible would be ideal and more in keeping with current times. The existing arrangement might have been fine years ago when folk walked more but not great now. The gap between units will make it feel more accessible from the car park. Be nice to see the Main Street side made better use of and feel more welcoming… I.e.. some seating etc. Hope this happens!
Jude Wolf ASDA ruined BLANTYRE!
Lesley Hartley Unless they do something about the sky high rent then those shops are just going to sit empty as well 😡
Catherine Devlin These new retail units look more targeted to the big up market brands whom can afford it, Asda are pricing the small business out of there all together and it’s hailed as improvement
Tracy Poulton Eventually
Lillias Addison Yes, Asda ruined Blantyre
Catherine Devlin I’m undecided on this, it’s getting hailed as improvement but this looks like just a couple of retail units that will accommodate a couple of the big names, but before we forget what about the current small businesses already there, there isn’t enough units on the opposite side to accommodate them all, Asda has never held up the promises it made to get the store there in the first place and I don’t trust them to do it now, they are going all automated and self service and actually cutting workers hours etc, this is all about Asda making and saving money, Blantyre is a ghost town in comparison to what it was like before Asda
Elizabeth Grieve Will believe it when I see it. Asda has driven out many local businesses since 1981, so don’t see it becoming any better. Here’s hoping though
Henry Hambley Sadly I must agree with those pessimists who predict more chain and fast-food outlets. Ideally, I would like to see small independent retailers open up. May be a couple of diner type operations rather than KFC etc. But I suspect that will be pie in the sky.
Jan Ette Brown how about a bank and a post office back there, because where the post office is situated now is absolutely good to older people who can’t walk far. they are having to get taxis to the post office, then another taxi to asda. where if the post office was there they could collect there pensions and do all their shopping in the one place the way it used to be..
Brian John Frankham Perhaps somebody could tell us Blantyre exiles what is happening about the Blantyre’s Miners Welfare which was recently destroyed by fire? PLEASE.
Blantyre Project For up to date , contemporary news about Blantyre including the Miners Welfare, please see this page. https://www.facebook.com/blantyretelegraph/ As well as looking at Blantyre’s old history, I’ve been posting about and recording Blantyres modern news faithfully every day for almost 7 years too……

Brian John Frankham Catherine Devlin Thank you
Robert Stewart Blantyre Asda or Tesco or Morrison’s or Sainsbury’s, it would no difference, none of them give a toss about the towns where they operate, bottom line – PROFIT.
Barra Maguire McDonalds, KFC and maybe Greggs in the small unit. That’s the kind of operators who will be going into those units

 

 

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