Westcliff: B&Q expansion still on the cards

The firm has confirmed it is set to build the new store at Prince Avenue to replace its existing site in Queensway, Southend, which is to be redeveloped.

But a spokeswoman said today that their announcement to build 15 new stores nationwide before the end of the year was a separate development.

The Westcliff development relies on planning permission being granted for three connected sites in the area and is not set to be ready for at least a year.

Property developers Lansbury Holdings Ltd, based in Billericay, plan to create up to 760 new jobs as part of a £35m investment package at the three sites.

The building of a new B&Q store between the Travel Inn hotel and Tesco supermarket in Prince Avenue will fund the development of two new retail stores at the existing B&Q site in Queensway.

The third application is for a massive industrial site - totalling around 110,000 sqft - at Fossetts Farm in Southend.

Lansbury director Robert Clements said their consultants were currently working with council planners to produce traffic and environmental reports for the sites.

He said: "It all depends on the planning permission which we would hope to get this year.

"We would have to build a B&Q store before they could move, of course so that will be at least a year away."

He said they had been approached by firms interested in taking over the Queensway site but that plans were still at a very early stage.

A B&Q spokeswoman said their next stores would be built in Cricklewood, Oldham, York and at Yeading in north London.

She said: "We have no more details of the Southend site at the moment."

The group plans to opens 15 warehouse stores during 2000 to add to the 48 existing stores.

B&Q, which is part of the Kingfisher group, plans to have a total of 125 warehouse stores by 2003.

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