Is Rustington in line for three new food shops?

UP to three new food stores are on the cards for the Rustington/Angmering area.
What the M&S Simply Food outlet could look likeWhat the M&S Simply Food outlet could look like
What the M&S Simply Food outlet could look like

Marks & Spencer has now submitted plans to Arun District Council for an M&S Simply Food outlet on the A259 on the Angmering/Rustington boundary, following a consultation on the scheme towards the end of last year.

Together with a pub planned on the same site, the two businesses could employ more than 100 people.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The site is to the west of land where two retail units, one for food and the other for a wide range of household goods, are proposed by Store Property, which owns most of Rustington’s shopping centre.

Arun is still considering whether to allow the non-food store to sell clothing and footwear, too, which could pave the way for fashion giant Next to move in.

The two units have only outline planning permission at present, and councillors must now decide whether to allow a second out-of-town food shop to be built, too.

They will be taking their decision against the background of a third newcomer to Rustington, Waitrose, which is relocating in the summer from Anchor Springs, Littlehampton, where it has been trading for almost four years.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The M&S Simply Food plan is described as a ‘hybrid’ application, with full planning permission sought for the store and outline consent for the pub.

M&S is working in partnership with SDB Investments Ltd and CDP Ltd on the plans. The store would measure 1,487sq m, including a 465sq m mezzanine floor, together with access from the A259 westbound carriageway, car parking, servicing, landscaping and ‘associated’ works. The pub would have 581sq m of floor space.

A statement submitted with the planning application says M&S has been looking for a suitable site in the area for more than six years – it currently has a shop attached to the BP petrol station in Worthing Road, Rustington.

The proposed location meets all the commercial and operational needs of M&S, which hopes to open the store in 2016, the statement adds.