date set for new co op in Charfield next to new Gloucester rail stop
Six years on from an initial planning bid, the Co-Op looks finally set to move into a brand-new store on Station Road in Charfield, with the doors to what has been locally dubbed as a "ghost" project opening to the first customers before Hallowe'en.
The project for the site, originally earmarked for use as a supermarket in 2017, was permitted in June 2019 and completed soon after the pandemic.
But it has subsequently remained empty and been the subject of a waiting game[1] for the local community, despite significant current and planned housing expansion within the village boundaries.
The purpose-built store, opposite the Railway Tavern and close to tech giant Renishaw's Charfield plant, sits immediately adjacent to the long-anticipated new Charfield railway station, a re-opend link which promises a hugely improved commuting connections for Gloucester and Berkeley. The station is due to open next year and is running on a development budget of £22m.
District Councillor John O'Neill told residents: "I spoke with the Co-op Food Group earlier in the year regarding the new store opening, at that time they confirmed that their were considerable issues to finalise but were provisionally hoping for an autumn opening."
Offering more detail to the plan, he said: "I have spoken with the property director today who has confirmed that the store is on track to open before the end of October."
According to retail experts at The Grocer, the initial permission for a 400 sq m store had made it a likely fit as a Co-Operative outlet.
Ronan Hegerty said: "Aldi and Lidl tend to go after 800 sq m sites, but we'd anticpate that they'd not be interested in that size outside London."
While many residents have voiced concern over parking issues from the new rail stop, the Co-Op, which Punchline understands has been rented by the Co-Op for some time as an empty unit, has been broadly welcomed.
References
- ^ subject of a waiting game (www.punchline-gloucester.com)