A MAJOR sports store could be opening at a Colchester retail park.

Sports Direct wants to open on the Turner Rise Retail Park, in north Colchester.

The retail park includes stores selling furniture, carpets, DIY and garden products.

There is also an Asda supermarket, a restaurant and a gym.

Glanmore Investment, which owns the retail park, has submitted a planning application to change the use of one unit so Sports Direct can sell memorabilia, shirts and football boots.

If Colchester Council approves the bid, it could herald the start of widespread changes to the shops at the park.

A statement included in the application states the store is currently occupied by Bensons for Beds on a temporary lease, while two of the other shops are also empty.

The report states: “The owner of the Turner Rise Retail Park has experienced difficulty over the years in seeking to secure a viable, fully-let retail park within the constraints of the current planning constraints.”

As well as the change of use, the application is seeking to add a 742sq m mezzanine floor.

A Colchester Council masterplan for the North Station area describes Turner Rise as “a soulless, car-borne development” which is “often hostile to pedestrians”.

It suggests Turner Rise could become an “eco” business centre or contain different shops.

Last week, a hearing discussing Colchester Council’s local development framework heard discussions on whether Turner Rise should have a “a more diverse mix of uses”.

No one from Glanmore was available to comment at the time of going to press.