A new Home Bargains store could be coming to a Lancashire retail park if the council approve an application to vary the amount of space set aside in the unit to sell food.

The new store, is proposed to occupy a vacant unit on the Capitol Centre retail park in Walton-le-Dale, Preston, which had previously been occupied by FABB Sofas, and before that a Tesco Home store, and if granted approval, will create dozens of new jobs. 

The application, which will go before South Ribble Borough Council's planning committe this week seeks permission to allow an empty unit to be occupied by Home Bargains, and accordingly, seeks to vary the current goods condition relating to the unit, to allow up to 30 per cent of the ground floor, which equates to 980sqm, to be used for the sale of food.

No objections were raised by the council, highways or Environmental Health, but concerns were raised in terms of there being another food retail outlet allowed on the site, in addition to the Waitrose supermarket already operating on the Capitol Centre.

However, Home Bargains, as a mixed goods national discount retailer does not fulfil the same role and function as a food store/supermarket but does requires the flexibility to set aside 30 per cent of its ground floor area for the sale of food.

Planning officers were therefore satisfied that Home Bargains would not constitute a food retail outlet and varying the conditions would not conflict with any local policy and would in fact bring a long-term vacant unit back into use adding to the range and variety of uses within the Capitol Centre site.

The application has been recommended for approval.