Ambitious plans to rejuvenate a Portslade garage site to benefit the community
A former car showroom in Portslade is set to become a community convenience store, according to plans submitted by a family-run Sussex business.
Tates moved its Hyundai operation from the premises at the bottom of Locks Hill to new facilities nearby and hopes to convert the empty building into a Morrisons Daily, with an investment of half a million pounds.
“Tates is a long-established, family-run Sussex business with a strong focus on creating local jobs and serving the communities we operate in,” said Kirsty Phelps, Property Manager at Tates. “With this project, our aim is to keep investment within the local economy, using it to create employment and opportunities for local people, rather than seeing profits leave the area or the site lose its community value.”
“We want to create a high-quality and welcoming environment for the community,” said Benjamin Tate, Executive Director of the family business. “The investment will include a commercial bakery and kitchen to offer customers coffee-to-go alongside fresh and tasty hot food, as well as everyday essentials.
“The Old Shoreham Road site has been a local landmark for as long as anyone can remember and a key part of the Tates operation over many generations. It’s ripe for renovation and will provide a much-needed local service while supporting employment in the area,” he added.
The project will include electric car charging points for customers and solar panels to help power the fridges and freezers.