Councillor Robin Owens and Co-operative Chief Executive Peter Marks open new Bingley shopping centre

Bingley’s brand new 5Rise Shopping Centre was officially launched on Thursday 3 December by local Councillor Robin Owens and Peter Marks, the chief executive of the Co-operative Group. The chief executive of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Tony Reeves also attended the occasion with the schemes developer 4Urban and its project delivery team.

The occasion also saw the official opening of the brand new 12,000 sq ft Co-operative food store. The Group chief executive, Peter Marks, was joined by children from Bingley’s Trinity All Saints school to cut the ribbon on the new store. The Co-operative is the anchor tenant and will be shortly joined by Home Bargains along with existing retailers such as Boots, Natwest, Greggs, Superdrug, Timpsons, Klick, and Betfred.

Of great importance to the local community in Bingley, the completion of 5Rise marks the much needed regeneration of retail facilities in the town that has been long overdue. Following a number of failed promises from previous owners, 4Urban has completed the long awaited redevelopment and secured 65% occupancy, despite the current economic climate.

4Urban can also now announce that Santander has agreed to take 1,235 sq ft for a local branch at the front of the development facing onto Main Street, which will open on 28 January 2010. While local operator Browns Café Bar has also agreed a lease on 810 sq ft next door to Boots.

Paul Lancaster, managing director at developer 4Urban, said: “We are delighted that we have been able to deliver this project on schedule. We are all local people with a high level of expertise in retail and it was in nobody’s interest to see the scheme fall into decline, so from our point of view we are extremely pleased to deliver on our promise to Bingley.

“This development has transformed the retail offer in Bingley, opening up what was a dark, dated and run down centre, to create a single mall allowing proper pedestrian circulation and a modern, safe, environment in which to shop – returning the centre to part of the overall street scene”.

The Co-operative’s Group chief executive, Peter Marks said: “The Co-operative is delighted to be playing a major role in a new era for shoppers in Bingley, heralded by the opening of the 5Rise Shopping Centre. We have a long history of trading in the town and being the anchor tenant for such a significant retail project ensures that tradition continues. Our Co-operative suopermarket, with its wide selection of goods, will offer customers an enhanced shopping service that will meet all their daily grocery needs."

A major £5 million regeneration project for the market town of Bingley, 5Rise now offers circ 60,000 sq ft of new and refurbished retail space across 18 individual shop units. The site was formerly known as Myrtle Shopping Centre and was purchased by 4Urban in April 2007 and redevelopment began in September 2008.

Councillor Robin Owens commented: “The planning consent received by 4Urban for 5Rise was the third in my time as an elected member of council for Bingley. I watched progress with more than a little trepidation as other major construction sites in Bradford fell silent during the recession.

“Bingley owes 4Urban a huge vote of thanks for delivering on its promises to deliver a retail scheme it can be proud of. The success of this project shows what can be achieved when developers, the council planning department and elected members share the same vision.”

Considered the most significant regeneration project in Bingley, 5Rise provides much more than improved retail facilities for the town. A state of the art library has been relocated within the scheme and opens to the public on 3 December.

Councilor Adrian Naylor, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Regeneration, said: "This is a real boost for Bingley and the local area and will provide the residents of Bingley with an improved shopping experience and a new modern library. It is great to see the end result and it now complements the new look Bingley Market Square."