The first phase of a new multimillion-pound retail and leisure development in a Northumberland seaside town is set to open before Christmas.
Food on the go favourite Greggs and local beauty salon Shorelocks are the first tenants at The Links at South Beach in Blyth, who are both on course to move into their units after finishing touches are made in December. In recent weeks two further lettings have also been agreed, including with Prudhoe-based Italian coffee house Caffe Ginevra.
Newcastle retail property consultancy @retail is taking enquiries from more potential occupiers hoping to take on the three remaining units of the project, which has been led by Blagdon Estate and Kingsmead Developments in plans which will create around 175 jobs. The Links will also feature a Co-op convenience store in the largest of the units, spanning 3,760 sq ft.
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The property agents are soon set to confirm details of a bistro bar and events business poised to move into unit 1a at the coastal hub. Meanwhile, two acres of adjacent land which were occupied by derelict farm buildings have now been cleared, to make way for phase two of the scheme.
Blagdon Estate first secured permission for the two-storey development at Blyth’s South Beach back in July 2020, following substantial residential development in the South Blyth area, which has seen hundreds of new homes built over the past 10 years. The second phase is set to include a hotel and gastropub to bring further visitors to this vibrant part of Blyth, where the beaches form part of a designated area of Special Nature Conservation, popular with families, cyclists, day trippers, water sports enthusiasts and residents alike.
Anthony Finn of Caffe Ginerva said: “As a Northumberland-based company, we’re proud to be part of this new and exciting phase in Blyth’s history, and can’t wait to open our doors at South Beach.”
@retail’s associate director Jonathan Chapman added: “This is an incredible time for Blyth, with 600 homes having been built in the area over the last decade, and more still planned, including nearly 400 at Persimmon’s South Shore, along with forthcoming plans for a new train station – all of which is contributing to the area’s rising visitor numbers.
“South Beach has a great deal going for it, and I have no doubt that remaining phase one units won’t be available for long.”
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