Vancouver Quarter sparks King's Lynn regeneration
Published: 07 February, 2009
One of Britain’s most resilient shopping centres is the Vancouver Quarter in King’s Lynn, where new retail development is being used to kickstart further regeneration of the town.
Centre manager Brad Curcillo says: “The centre has proved resilient in the current climate with a record number of shoppers visiting the centre over the Christmas period and a 10 per cent increase in footfall for the year.”
Vancouver Quarter is an open-air, pedestrianised shopping complex that links into the main town shopping area. The scheme was re-developed and expanded by 250,000 sq ft in 2006 as part of a major £26m regeneration project which also saw the construction of an award-winning multi-storey car park.
The completion of the project sparked a retail renaissance in the town with Marks & Spencer extending in September 2008. Supermarket giants Sainsbury and Tesco have also both revealed plans to expand their stores.
On the back of this, ambitious plans were revealed in the summer of 2008 for a multi-million pound project to create new retail and recreational facilities including a new cinema complex and hotel. The plan also includes an extension of the retail quarter, redevelopment of the bus station and plans for a pedestrian link to the town centre from the railway station.
Councillor Jason Law, West Norfolk Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, says: “The project is another important and exciting step towards ensuring that Lynn remains a vibrant and competitive shopping destination in the future.“
