Work Starts on Bedlington Town Centre Scheme

Advance Northumberland is pleased to confirm that preparation work has now commenced on the Bedlington Town Centre scheme.

Supermarket chain Aldi will form the integral part of this exciting scheme in the heart of Bedlington town centre, delivering a 19,000 sq. ft food store, creating local jobs when the planned branch is complete. The store is set to open before the end of the year.

The current work in the rear car park is in preparation to allow Aldi to begin ground works prior to building the supermarket. There is further activity on the Market Place, which is preparatory to the front being demolished to accommodate the next phase which includes, the building of retail units with apartments above. These are designed to blend in with the style of the Front Street.

(This is with the except of Greggs which will continue to trade throughout).

Phase one consisting of Aldi is now in place with phase two the marketplace regeneration following closely- there is also a considerable amount of work being done to progress additional further phases to the scheme with an enterprise hub and a leisure offer also being worked up.

Working on behalf of Northumberland County Council, Advance Northumberland is leading in the delivery of the new development that will reposition Bedlington as a retail destination, improving amenities and giving local people greater choice. Once complete it is estimated the combined schemes will create over 180 new jobs along with 70 construction jobs during the construction phase.

Bedlington Ward Councillor, Russ Wallace said: “After taking over four years to progress to this stage, with many believing it would never happen, I know the people of Bedlington will be delighted with today’s news. Given the obstacles we have encountered along the way, the fact we are now seeing work started is testament to the dedicated work being done by both Advance Northumberland and Northumberland County Council in extremely difficult times.”

Richard Wearmouth, Chair of Advance Northumberland said: “The project is central to the regeneration of Bedlington Town Centre, we are delighted to announce a commitment to the scheme and provide much needed new retail amenities for local people. Aldi will provide a resurgence to the town centre retail offer and will drive footfall to support and attract other retailers. We have put a significant amount of resources and time into this development, demonstrating our commitment to deliver the best possible outcome for Bedlington”.

Find out more about this exciting project by clicking here.