AN out-of-town retail park could be built on the outskirts of Prudhoe next year, as part of the Duke of Northumberland's new plans for the town.

At Wednesday night’s town council meeting, director of planning at Northumberland Estates, Colin Barnes presented a blueprint for Prudhoe.

If approved, the scheme would include a retail development at Low Prudhoe and a smaller scale redevelopment of Front Street.

The 70,000 square foot retail park would sit on two parcels of land, either side of the A695 roundabout at the eastern end of the Princess Way industrial estate.

The outline plan from Northumberland Estates envisages a retail park featuring large stores, a petrol station, drive-through restaurant, a budget hotel and a family pub/restaurant.

No businesses have been signed up yet, but Mr Barnes told the meeting that a marketing agent had gone out to a number of operators, including Marks & Spencer, Aldi and Poundland.

He said: “We haven’t signed anyone up at this time. This is all about finding out what demand is out there to come to Prudhoe.”

The plan for the town centre would see a 15,000 square foot area set back from Front Street redeveloped into small, glass fronted retail units.

The town centre proposal is two-thirds smaller than the previous scheme from Northumberland Estates.

Northumberland Estates has joined forces with Arch Northumberland, the development business arm of Northumberland County Council, to bring forward the proposal.

Mr Barnes told town councillors a planning application was expected to be submitted later this year, but that public consultation and exhibition events would take place prior to that.

He hoped the first phase of development work would begin in 2017.

This proposal comes in the wake of Northumberland Estate’s ambitious £30m scheme to revamp the town centre, which fell through after Sainsbury withdrew its interest.

This proposal seeks to transfer the town centre planning permission granted in June 2012 to Low Prudhoe and provide a smaller re-development of the town centre.

Mr Barnes said the development could generate up to 200 jobs in the town and was a “show of confidence in Prudhoe.”

He said plans to expand housing in the town were not matched by a growth in services, shopping or employment.

He said: “We’ve got a town where we’re seeing a continued trade leakage out of the town, to the Metrocentre, Blaydon and Hexham.

“We want to create a town centre; somewhere people want to come and shop; somewhere people from Prudhoe will spend their hard-earned cash instead of taking it elsewhere.

“There would have been the easy option of just doing the retail site in Low Prudhoe. But that would have left the town centre with a raw deal, because we still think it requires improvement.”

Prudhoe Mayor, Coun. Eileen Burt, said: “Personally, I was concerned about the town centre. It has been a black hole in the middle of the town for such a long time.”

Coun. Bryan Futers feared an out-of-town retail development could lure people away from the town centre.

Other councillors expressed concern at the phased approach, suggesting that the Front Street development may fall by the wayside after the retail park was completed.

Mr Barnes said the intention was to put both developments through the planning process at the same time.

He said: “There is a lot of work to be done between where we are now and digging the ground and making things happen.

“As soon as our plans are a little bit more firmed up, we will begin public consultation in the town and involve yourselves and other interested bodies.”

kathleen.moore@hexham-courant.co.uk