TWO major high street retailers are planning to open stores in the district – Debenhams in Lancaster and Next in Morecambe.


A planning application has been submitted on behalf of Next, the men and women’s fashion chainstore, for a shop at the former Frontierland theme park in Marine Road West.
If the council’s planning committee give the go-ahead, the 1,802 sq-metre store would stock men’s, women’s and children’s clothes, along with homeware and furniture, and be open until 8pm most nights.
In a planning report, produced by agents Peacock and Smith, it said: “Next is currently implementing an expansion programme nationwide and has identified Morecambe as a location where it wished to open a new store. The company’s nearest existing store is at Lancaster but this is a constrained retail unit and does not allow Next to display its full product range.
“Next has confirmed that it remains committed to trading in Lancaster city centre and is seeking a larger retail unit within the Castle View development.”
And this week Debenhams exchanged a lease agreement with developers Centros Miller for a 105,000 sq-ft unit on the Castle View site. If the scheme goes ahead, the department store will be over three levels, making it one of the largest Debenhams in the North West.
It would provide one of the centrepieces of the £150 million redevelopment plan for the land bounded by Moor Lane, St Leonardgate, Edward Street and Stonewell.
In the city centre itself, recent new developments include:
l Lush Nail & Beauty in Meeting House Lane.
l Asian cash and carry Mung Mee has opened a Thai restaurant of the same name next to its shop premises in Chapel Street.
l Former Lawsons toy shop in New Street is currently being refurbished and will reopen shortly as All Fired Up Ceramics.