Does anyone have any intelligence on what is to become of the recently deceased Somerfield (RIP)?
Or what restaurants/cafés/shops might move into the swankily named Surbiton Plaza?
Surbiton News?
By posting content on Surbiton.com, you agree to adhere to the following guidelines.
- Your username and password must only be used by you, keep them safe. If a posting is made using your username and password it will be considered to have been posted by you. If you have a friend who wants to use our site and post messages on the site, show them how to register.
- Be courteous at all times, inciting racial hatred, posting abusive, obscene, threatening, harassing, defamatory, libellous or sexually explicit material or any material that is found to be offensive is not acceptable and we may suspend your username and password.
- Retaliating to offensive posts causes more problems for other users on the discussion boards. Just report such messages to us using the Feedback link which is available at the top of every page or the 'report this' link associated with individual postings. We will act on every report we receive.
- Please respect other people's work and do not post material that infringes copyright.
- Do not post information that you know to be confidential or sensitive or otherwise in breach of the law. You should only post material that you know to be public knowledge. If you have any doubts do not post it on the site.
- Never attempt to gain unauthorised access to any area of the site. This is known as hacking and is illegal.
- Content posted represents the opinions of the author, and does not represent the opinions of Surbiton.com or its affiliates and has not been approved or issued by Surbiton.com. You should be aware that the other participants are strangers to you and may make statements which may be misleading, deceptive or wrong.
- Spoofing or posing as another user is unacceptable. Anonymous users' postings should always be considered with suspicion.
- Help keep Surbiton.com a safe place for information and opinion. Please alert us of any anti-social behaviour as described above.
Surbiton.com 1998 - 2024
Comments
Mackays is basically a more dull version of Debenhams, not much to look forward to.
But not as much a horror as Burger King.
Thanks-I posted the Kingston Council link. There is nothing about the KFC site just yet. It will be interesting to see if Mackays get approval. I don't envisage an issue so it will be interesting to see how it will fare. The building on the corner of St Mary's Road and Victoria Road is also being redeveloped.
Great work - some real evidence instead of rumour this time.
They received the application on May 21 and they're not planning any changes to the property except the facade.
Pretty boring looking clothes shop though, but good luck to them.
I've scoured the Kingston Council website and Mackays store have made an application.
http://maps.kingston.gov.uk/ImageViewer/...
Mackays Stores is a fashion store.
http://www.mackays.co.uk/mackays_holding/
I have never heard of them before, but looking at their website, Surbiton appears to fit in quite well with their other stores, as they tend to go for the smaller towns rather than the big regional centres.
Their local stores are Twickenham, Walton, Cobham etc - nothing in Kingston, Richmond or Guildford.
I will still be interested to see how they support a store of this size in Surbiton, though. Walton & Cobham may not be shopping meccas, but they are consdierably bigger than Surbiton, and do not have a massive centre like Kingston just a mile down the road.
I'd certainly like to see it succeed, though.
Is it closed or is it just a refurb??
Anyone noticed that the KFC (by the YMCA) has closed!
Burger King/Mac Donalds/KFC seems to attract too much riff raff :)
Obviously they should all be replaced by Starbucks as they mostly attracts mom with babies.
Im sure it will just be another Starbucks, I mean there is only one on the high street at the moment so we must be due for another one.
"Lets just hope burger king is offset by some independant retailers too."
No, let's hope that the planners (and councillors) have some balls and refuse to have another tacky chavvy burger joint open up along the main street.
This is the problem with property development an a larger scale ie half a dozen units, all they are interested in is a good solid credit rating - the sort that burger king will have - a developer will be much more interested in renting to a high street outfit rather than a boutique shop who may go out of business within a year.
Its a shame i agree - but it's also business. Lets just hope burger king is offset by some independant retailers too.
Good grief - I can't believe a burger king is the best that the new Surbiton Plaza can attract.
I bet they won't tell prospective purchasers when they launch their sales program.
Live in the Conran (practice) designed Surbiton Plaza, and revel in the distinctive aroma of a whopper cheeseburger.
Is burger king hoping to take the old post office unit on the main street? ie, the one they're now trying to get planning permission to change from shop to restaurant?
If this is the same unit, the planners should refuse it - another junk food unit adds nothing to the main street.
Its too nice a building to deck out in orange and red plastic.
The old Sommerfield is going to become ASDA I have been informed....and Burger King are going to open in The surbiton Plaza
I'd disagree with previous comments on splitting the unit into smaller shops.
Surbiton has more than enough small shops already, with too many of them charity shops and estate agents.
It's the small shop sector that is dwindling more than others nowadays - Surbiton would benefit from bigger shop units - attracting shops that need more space, but can't afford kingston rents, eg furniture shops.
Surbiton could also benefit from some sort of master plan, encouraging real shops (ie those that sell things) to cluster together around waitrose / sainsburys. Things like delis, bakeries, off-licences, etc
Estate agents, charity shops, hairdressers, etc would only be allowed further away.
This would maintain these clusters within Surbiton as a meaningful destination to shop.
I think that the Somerfield shop will be a difficult one to let out. Aldi/Lidl are possibles, but Asda occupy the same market segment as Somerfield - why would it succeed?
The larger clothing chains may have stores of that size in Kingston, but few will want their Surbiton branch to be that big, as they will only want to sell a restricted range.
Surbiton will never become a shopping destination as it is too close to Kingston, but surely we can do better than this!
The only shop that Burger King should be allowed to take is the one the McDonalds have currently got - at least it would be a slight improvement!
It is a great shame that a landmark development (by Surbiton standards) such as Surbiton Plaza cannot attract a better flagship store than Burger King. This development is a great opportunity to improve the poorer end of the high street with its long term empty shops and the YMCA problems. BK moving in will hardly attract any quality retailers.
By advocating a mix of smaller and larger shopis, I meant shops that could do with larger floorspaces, eg kitchen/bathroom/furniture showrooms.
These shops need bigger floorspaces and cheaper rent. Surbiton would be ideal if there were bigger shops available.
A moratorium should be declared on building any more small shops. Already, we can see quite a few empty ones.
I didn't mean attracting department stores that would naturally go to Surbiton.
Sorry, should have made myself clear.
Imo, the big challenge facing Surbiton is when estate agents inevitably disappear form the high street, to be replaced by large predomiinantly internet based operators. What will replace them?
We could end up with lots of small shops that nobody has any use for. To hedge against this happening, the range of shop sizes needs to be more diverse.
It looks like the Surbiton Plaza has hit problems already in trying to get their shops let.
This change of use application is for one of the main street units - this points to them having shag all chance of letting the ones down their back alley at this rate.
see link for details (press the right buttons to read full correspondence):
http://images.kingston.gov.uk/...
I don't think surbiton needs any more restaurants - they're's more than enough at the minute - the real problem is that a fair few of them are pretty bland & dated and don't make much of an effort.
The new "hotel" beside the wetherspoons has been trying to let its ground floor as an independent restaurant for some time now without success.
My guess is an aldi - just their size of shop, and far enough away from lidl in kingston to survive.
They've been trying to open one along the ewwll bypass at west ewell, but have hit opposition. They probably won't get planning - this site is much easier for them.
If so, it could be a fatal blow to woolies across the road.
I have been told that Somerfields is becoiming a New Look
I'd be very surprised if it were true - how long has it been since a clothes shop has been located in Surbiton's main street?
Could this be the rebirth of surbiton as we know it?
I think it would be a poor choice of location for them. There is not enough passing trade in Surbiton to make it work - especially in a shop that size.
The high street clothing chains are always going to struggle in Surbiton, with Kingston only a mile away. The only chain business that could really work is a WH Smith to replace the awful Martin's store on the corner of Victoria Road and St James Road.
Ideally the building should be torn down, and 2-3 smaller units built in its place. They would be much more lettable, and have the advantage of removing what is possibly the ugliest building currently in Victoria Road.
Completely agree with WHSmith to replace the awful Martin's store.
Now that Carphone Warehouse and T-Mobile have arrived in the last 2 years, I hope we dont have another mobile phone store or even a Tesco Express.
Virgin Express, Borders Express would be interesting. The independent bookstore at the bottom of Victoria Road would benefit from moving but the building would need to split since the building is probably too big and too expensive for it to move in .
Note that the new Surbiton Plaza will include a restaurant and a couple of shops. I would be surprised if a clothes shop would be there since there isnt enough demand.
Desire by Debenham concept (http://www.debenhamsweddings.com/.../SouthShields-DesirebyDebenhams_6caf3.pdf) could be interesting but I think the shop is too small unless they used the car park area.
The last thing we need is yet another food shop.
Just demolish it and by utilising the huge car park at the rear build some more flats with small shop/office units on the front.
These should be fully IT enabled and the whole of the high street be wifi enhanced to encourage wealth creation alongside suburban living.
If necessary and to keep the eco warriors and global warming nuts happy stick a roof garden and some windmills on top with banks of solar panels.
yes i know what you mean darling absoloutley apoorling
I hope it's a Lidl. We need a replacement where us pensioners can shop for sub-standard products.
I'm looking foward to blocking the queue with my wheelie basket while I pay with coppers for a half tin a Felix and a tube of Sterident.
are you for real
Are You That THICK ?