Luton Point
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| Location | Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom |
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| Coordinates | 51°52′50″N 0°25′50″W / 51.88056°N 0.43056°W |
| Opening date | 1972 |
| Management | Mark Broadhead[1] |
| Owner | The Mall Company |
| No. of stores and services | 128 |
| Total retail floor area | 755,000 sq ft (70,100 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Parking | 2,300 spaces, |
| Website | Luton Mall Website |
The Mall Luton is a large shopping centre in the centre of Luton, United Kingdom. It was formerly an Arndale Centre, until it was purchased by The Mall Company in January 2006. It was temporarily called The Mall Arndale, but is now referred to as The Mall Luton, although local people still refer to it as "The Arndale".
History
Originally opened in 1972, as The Arndale Shopping Centre, The Mall purchased the site in January 2006. The Mall Luton is undergoing changes and new investment. The centre has 128 shop units occupying 754,556 sq ft (70,100.5 m2), and parking for 2,300 cars.
The area that would become the new shopping centre was cleared during the 1960s. Many notable buildings which had escaped the damage of World War II were subsequently demolished. Work started on the new shopping centre in the late 1960s and when it opened The Arndale Centre in Luton was the largest covered shopping centre in Europe; it was later ousted from this position by the Manchester Arndale centre.
Stores
Below are just a few of the many stores,
As of April 2015:
Argos, Boots, Debenhams, TK Maxx, Wilko, Marks & Spencer, Primark, GAME WHSmith Shoe Zone
In January 2008, it was announced that Woolworths, which opened in 1973, would be closing. The shop was closed in March 2008, when the lease expired. The store is now a Marks & Spencer.
Extension plans
St George's Square
Following the completion of the redevelopment of St George's Square in Luton, The Mall Company remodelled the St George's Square end of The Mall Luton.
The development created 8,825 sq m (75,000 sq ft) of new retail space across 8 new retail units. Three levels of car parking at the top of the development provided an increase of approximately 200 car parking spaces. On completion The Mall Luton totalled 77,199 sq m (831,000 sq ft). The new six-storey building has an entrance directly onto St George's Square, with escalators inside the building taking shoppers to the main mall level.
Ken Ford, chief executive of The Mall, said, when the scheme was announced:
"Our proposals will provide enhanced retail units in order to improve the retail offer in the town. They will also improve The Mall Luton's relationship with the town – by providing bright, modern shop fronts and a landmark new entrance we will vastly improve the Mall's presence onto St George's Square and help create an attractive area for the people of Luton to shop, eat and relax."
TK Maxx was the new anchor tenant for the extension,[2] with Argos also taking a unit. Completion of the St George's Square redevelopment was planned for September 2009. However, due to the recession, the funding was delayed. The redevelopment was eventually completed in 2012.
The Northern Gateway
In December 2007, a further planning application was submitted for a much larger extension to The Mall,.[3] As well as several much larger shopping units, housing and office space were planned. The site is between The Mall and train station, and would see total redevelopment of Silver Street, Bute Street, one side of Cheapside and Part of Guildford Street.
Although much of the site is either car parking or vacant, two grade II listed buildings and several locally listed buildings would be demolished, including several 19th century hat factories, for which the town was once famous.[4]
The plan was criticised by English Heritage[5] and the Victorian Society whom described the plans as "shocking".[6][7] Following the comments The Mall have stated that following discussions with council officers, "amendments to the application are being made".
References
- ^ "The Mall Luton - On site team". Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ TK Maxx confirmed in extension
- ^ Announcement by The Mall of its plans
- ^ Luton Today article on proposed demolition
- ^ English Heritage criticisms
- ^ http://www.victorian-society.org.uk/news/8986/hat_trick_of_destruction_planned_for_lutons_historic_heart.html Victorian Society
- ^ Critism of scheme
