The site of a former Marks and Spencer in Crawley is expected to be sold in February and could be used for flats.
The store, in Queensway – which was described as ‘old and very costly to run’ – closed its doors on November 16, after 56 years of trading. Its loss has left a sizeable hole in what the town centre has to offer.
Members of the borough council’s overview & scrutiny commission will receive an update on the town centre’s regeneration programme on January 13.
A report to the commission said: “Council officers understand that the former Marks & Spencer store is expected to be sold in February 2025 and it is conceivable that the new owners may wish to bring forward proposals for residential and/or commercial space redevelopment on the site.”
Any such proposals would have to be receive planning consent from the council.
While the loss of the store was described as ‘hugely disappointing’ by the council, the report added: “Marks & Spencer have expressed their desire to expand their presence in Crawley in the future, should a suitable site become available.”
Looking at the town centre regeneration as a whole, some £60m of schemes have been completed in recent years.
They include the £3.2m refurbishment of Queens Square, another £2.2m for Queensway and The Pavement, £375,000 for the Worth Park Avenue cycleway, and £180,000 for town centre signage.
Another £61.7m of projects are still in the pipeline, with the aim to deliver by 2027.
They include £7.4m for the Crawley Station Gateway/Bus Station rebuild, £5.1m for improvements at Three Bridges station, £300,000 for a Manor Royal bus super hub waiting area, and £1.3m for a Manor Royal bus lane extension.
The report to the commission shows that the number of people who visited the town centre in November was almost 40,000 higher than the previous November.
County Mall was the busiest area, with just over 400,000 visitors, followed by the leisure park with 240,000.
