By HELEN COMPSON helen.compson@hexham-courant.co.uk

Last updated at 10:40, Monday, 19 May 2008

ROBB’s department store in Hexham is set to be demolished to make way for a new £40million high street development.

Robb's department store is now set for demolition

It is unclear at this point what will happen to Robb’s 129 staff – whether they will eventually be made redundant or taken on by a successive employer – or the town’s only post office which is in the building.

The owner of the building, estate and property management company Buccleuch Group, announced its plans yesterday for a “remarkable” new building.

It would provide residents and visitors alike with a memorable shopping experience, said the commercial property director at Buccleuch Property, Nick Waugh.

“We would like to create a very modern, contemporary and stylish building that would fit well with – and make the most of – the existing architecture of Hexham,” he said.

“Past experiences have shown us that redevelopments of this size can cost up to £40 million or more.”

The development is expected to provide polished premises of the type that would be attractive to a leading national retail chain.

However, rumours sweeping Hexham this week that Debenhams was being lined up were dismissed by Mr Waugh.

Mr Waugh stressed that the redevelopment would only be carried out after a full and robust consultation with Tynedale Council, Hexham Town Council, Hexham Civic Society and the general public.

Although the Fore Street building is in the heart of the Hexham conservation area, it does not have listed building status.

Buccleuch Group is known to have been in talks with Tynedale Council and, indeed, the owner of the Robb’s business, Vergo Retail, for many months now.

Mr Waugh said it will begin a full design, consultation and appraisal exercise some time over the next three years.

It isexpected a planning application will be submitted to Tynedale Council’s before the end of the year. Construction work would be under way within three years of permission being granted

Mr Waugh and Vergo Retail director David Thompson confirmed this week that a new lease had been signed by the two parties that would provide the flexibility needed for the redevelopment to take place. Mr Thompson said he was happy with the agreement.

Civic and community group leaders welcomed the news.

Hexham’s MP Peter Atkinson said: “Anything that attracts more people into Hexham has got to be welcome.

“The only caveats are that we should get a top class design, and that it isn’t intended to house just another high street clone.”

Hexham Civic Society, secretary Tim Tatman said: “I would strongly welcome a new, much better shopping retail environment on that site – the building as it stands is not a nice place to be at the minute.”

The consensus among a group of shoppers asked for their views seemed to be that it was about time the Robb’s building was improved.

“Hexham deserves better than what we have got now – the standard of both the building and the stock is very poor,” said one woman.

It is just over a year since Mr Thompson, operating under the banner of his previous company, Owen Owen, took Robb’s both into and out of administration.

At the height of the crisis, last May, management triggered the fire alarm to clear the store of customers – and then handed staff their redundancy notices.

Mr Thompson then formed his current company, Vergo Retail, had bought back Robb’s, along with two of the other Owen Owen stores, Joplings of Sunderland and Lewis’s of Liverpool.

Robb’s staff spoke of their unease at the time of the buy-back, some fearing it could be little more than a short-term stay of execution.

It was openly acknowledged earlier this year that Buccleuch Group was drawing up a contingency plan should the Robb’s business fail to get back on its feet.

But that was described as no more than standard practice by a responsible company.

However, there has been a crescendo of criticism during the past year of the continuing lacklustre, old-fashioned appearance of the store.

The proposed Hexham redevelopment mirrors what is happening to Vergo’s flagship store in Liverpool, Lewis’s.

There, Vergo is renting space from the building’s joint owners, Merepark and Capital & Counties developers.

But the two companies have submitted a planning application to build a huge £160million ‘village’ – with a wide mix of residential and commercial properties – using the Lewis’s building as a cornerstone.

Mr Thompson is now having to renegotiate to stay beyond the final two years of his lease for that building.

First published at 13:32, Thursday, 15 May 2008
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk