News
Retail hub takes shape at Lakeside North Harbour
The new retail and lifestyle hub at Highcross’ Lakeside North Harbour business park in Portsmouth is taking shape, with contractors, Warings, on target to complete the build this autumn.
The steel structures are now in place, with glazing systems due to follow shortly. The two single-storey pavilions will finally be linked to the 1000 Lakeside building by a tensile fabric canopy.
Two of the hub’s seven units have already been pre-let to The Southern Co-operative, and will be used for a convenience store and florist. With no further retail development planned at the Lakeside North Harbour business park, the units are attracting significant interest from potential occupiers.
Tim Clark, retail specialist at joint agents, Hughes Ellard, comments: “We are in discussions with both regionally-based retailers and national chains, regarding four of the five remaining units. The prime attraction is the potential customer base, with more than 4,000 people currently based at Lakeside North Harbour, all of whom have to travel off-site for the products and services which will be offered by the new retail hub.”
Highcross asset management director, Nick Turner, adds: “The new retail and lifestyle hub is in a prominent site, right in front of our landmark 1000 Lakeside building, and will form an exciting, attractive extension to the building’s busy atrium and bring a whole new range of facilities for companies already based at the park. This is a one-off opportunity for retailers to take advantage of Lakeside North Harbour’s popularity with regional businesses and we are delighted by the early interest in the scheme.”
The project also includes the construction of a new nursery building, pre-let to Tops Day Nurseries, which is scheduled to open in October this year.
Agents for Highcross at the Lakeside North Harbour business park are Vail Williams and Hughes Ellard, along with London-based retail agency specialists DMR.
Photo caption:
Richard Stileman (far left) of The Southern Co-operative and Tim Clark (far right) of agents Hughes Ellard, view progress on the Lakeside retail hub, with prospective occupiers Otto and Barbara Ott of Hair OTT (centre left) and Malcolm Jenvey of Pressing Needs (centre right)