Georgian Bath could be the blueprint for Leamington

Buy photos » South Gate in Bath - a possible blueprint for Leamington and the Clarendon Arcade?

THE GEORGIAN splendour of Bath is being heralded as a possible future blueprint for Regency Leamington.

People are being given a chance to hear alternative suggestions for the rejected Clarendon Arcade shopping centre plan in Leamington at a public meeting at the town's Pump Rooms from 7.30pm on Wednesday (February 8).

It will focus on the proposed redevelopment of the car park on Chandos Street, including alternatives similar in style to the SouthGate shopping area in the historic Somerset city of Bath.

Plans for a new £90 million 'Clarendon Arcade' shopping centre - housing up to 40 shop units plus nine new homes and more than 500 car parking spaces – were thrown out by Warwick District Council in November.

But as we reported at the time, developers Wilson Bowden and economic development chiefs at the council insisted “doing nothing was not an option” if Leamington was to compete with other shopping destinations such as Solihull and Birmingham, and a revised plan is likely to be submitted this year.

With this in mind town resident Archie Pitts, who has helped organise the public meeting, said: “If a new plan is to go in we want to make sure everyone has had their say, that every suggestion for the site is heard.

“Many of us agree that something needs to be done with the site, to help boost trade in the town, but the scheme rejected was clearly too big and any new plan must be in keeping with the style of Leamington.”

"SouthGate Bath shows what the same architects can do."

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